In One Breath
by Kitryna
Summary: Maka and Soul are sent on a mission by Shibusen which would result in their acquiring the final soul that they need to finally reach Death Scythe status - the soul of a witch. They have been warned that the witch is not one to be underestimated, but will Maka have the resolve to not rush in?
1. Chapter 1: Something Missing

**I in no way own Soul Eater.**

**I may write Maka a slight out of character, but I'm trying to stick to them as much as possible while driving them in the direction I want.**

**This is the first time I've written in a long time, so bear with me!**

* * *

The ash-blonde girl sighed as she blankly stared out the window. Various shapes and colors flew past her view, but nothing seemed to be committing to memory. The only thing that stuck was the curious way that things closer to the train seemed to be moving much quicker than anything behind it. At first, her eyes darted quickly from side to side as she glanced from tree to tree. After a while, her gaze lifted and focused on something seemingly more stationary. Her pupils constricted as she stared at the silhouette of a tree in the distance. It seemed somehow peaceful standing in the middle of an open field with the orange sun hovering just behind it. And yet…there was something else to it. Something missing. Something wanting.

"Keep staring and you'll be blind by the time we get there," came the always _cool_ voice of Soul's.

Maka Alburn turned her head to look at her partner. He was leaning back in his seat with his hands behind his head and looking at her out of the edge of his eyes, while she sat turned around in her seat leaning against the window in utter boredom. Surely, there must have been a quicker way to get there, she thought, but this was how she was instructed to travel. Taking any other method of travel would have made her stand out. Still… This much time spent on a practically empty passing through what seemed like the middle of nowhere seemed like too much. She was growing more impatient by the minute.

After all, they were headed for a town that was rumored to be home of a particularly pesky which that would serve as the final soul they needed to make her partner a Death Scythe. They had missed opportunities before, and she was not willing to make this another big restart point. If they failed this time, she could see no other choice than to –

"What's the face for?"

"Hm?" Maka's thoughts were interrupted once again by the voice of her partner. He was looking over her with a look of confusion. Unaware of how her thoughts were affecting her body outwardly, Maka had been scrunching her face in pure determination. Unfortunately, it gave her quite the look of anger that she had not been intending in the slightest. "What's wrong with my face?" she finally responded, blinking in confusion.

Soul chuckled softly under his breath and turned his gaze away again with the coolest smirk crawling across his features. "Lost in thought as always," he said simply.

"What else is there to do? I forgot my books…" she complained.

Again, Soul laughed. "Changes nothing."

"What is that supposed to mean? It changes everything! I'm so bored…" Maka leaned backwards, forgetting for a moment she had been sitting the wrong direction and she would not have support to stop her from falling. Luckily, she had been holding on to the arm rest and was able to hold her body up suspended over the edge of her seat.

Like always, Soul just watched her. "I guess you're right. It changes a lot," she stated. Maka's ears perked at this. He was agreeing with her? "Now you can't '_Maka chop_' me."

In one swift move, one of Maka's feet had found its way out from underneath her and connecting in a strong kick with Soul's shin. With a soft shout, he fell forward out of his chair. Truthfully, he should have seen it coming. It was an obvious challenge, and she already won. By the time he finally lifted his head to send her a nasty glare, she had prepared an innocent smile. With the sweetest, no, cutest voice she could muster, Maka giggled down at her partner. "Think again!"

* * *

This particular train ride certainly was unbearably long, but as usual Soul was not willing to show his discomfort. He did not have much to complain about, really. He was getting away from Shibusen for a while, he was on his way to becoming a death scythe, and he was with Maka. Life felt pretty good at the moment, as a matter of fact. Soul always felt better after a mission. Having fun with friends was one thing, but taking the souls of those that strayed down the wrong path was another.

Besides, there was something to be said for how strangely comfortable he found himself on this train. The mocking sun had finally taken the final fall from the horizon and left the scenery overcast in darkness. The only light left now was the gentle glow coming from within the train itself. It was almost too gentle. It was no wonder Maka had fallen asleep so quickly.

Soul glanced down at the mess of hair resting on his chest. It had been quite a slow and amusing process that led to their current position. It all started with a head nod, and not even in his direction. She nodded off, falling slowly backward and forward. Once, she had nearly fallen backward so far he thought she would surely fall from her seat. _(Why did she have to sit facing the window anyway?) _When she finally seemed to be taken by sleep she was leaning into her arms against the window. Then, after a while she began to slip ever-so-slowly to one side. It just happened to be in his direction. Suddenly, when she had slipped so far that her head hit his shoulder, she jumped up with a start, only to lean her head right back against the window as she had before. It was not long until it started all over again and in no time, there was her head on his shoulder again. This time she did not wake. Instead, she remained to use him as a pillow. Whether or not she was aware of it, he could not be sure. She remained on his shoulder for a short while before she began slipping again. Given that he had been leaning back, his chest then made the perfect place for her head to finally come to a halt.

Asleep, she seemed so helpless. It was simply adorable. He sincerely did not have the heart to wake her unless it was entirely necessary.

When the train began to slow only half an hour later it actually seemed a shame.

"Maka," he said as gently as he could, considering her ear was against his chest and would likely hear the hum of his voice before his words. "We're here."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the intro. :] There's more to come, so stick with me if you enjoyed it so far!**


	2. Chapter 2: Always Hungry

"What time _is_ it?"

"It should only be seven…ish."

"Ish? Doesn't that seem a bit early?"

"A bit."

Maka and Soul walked slowly through the main street of the small town they had landed in. In every direction there were people frantically moving around to pack up their stalls, pulling down barred metal doors before shops, hurrying children into homes, and drawing their blinds shut. They were all seemingly determined to be closed up as quickly as possible as if something bad would happen were they too slow. It was much earlier than the two were used to seeing people retire, especially when it was everyone. Even restaurants seemed to be hurrying to lock their doors and head home. Even if they had not already known about the existence of evil in this town, it would not have taken them very long to realize that something was wrong.

"Tch…Looks like we're not eating tonight," uttered Soul.

Those words made Maka's head suddenly dart around quickly as her eyes desperately searched for a place that was not closing their doors. She had been hungry for nearly the entire train ride, now was not the time to learn that food was not in her near future. The very thought seemed to burn a hole into her stomach. "There has to be one!" It felt as if her stomach would eat her inside-out.

Hearing the urgency in her voice made it obvious what was on her mind. Pulling one hand out of his pocket, Soul waved at a man that was about to pass them by. "Hey, do any of these—" His words were cut short by the realization that the person he was trying to speak to was clearly not listening. He just hurried past without a second glance at the stranger to their town. "What the hell... Hey!" Angered by the obvious lack of consideration the town seemed to have to the unknowing foreigners, Soul turned to follow the man only to be stopped by a hand grasping his elbow.

Maka spoke up just as soon as she had succeeded in stopping him. "We'll find something," she said as surely as she could, but her voice gave way to her wavering belief. Her stomach grumbled with the voice disbelief. Determined, she set her feet to the road again. She moved nearly at the same pace as all the rushing villagers as she desperately roamed up the street trying to look in through one window to the next.

Soul simply followed quietly with his hands stuffed back into his pockets. The lack of food had not yet managed to break through his good mood, though being ignored had given him a try. It didn't take long for peace to take him over again, though. Maka had made sure of that, even if she were not aware of it.

"Nothing…nothing…nothing!" she whined. She had eaten so little all day. What a mistake it was to skip lunch just because she was not yet hungry!

With a sigh, Soul turned to find a new candidate for questioning. This time, he tried asking a woman, hoping perhaps some womanly compassion would kick in to give them pity…or some crap like that. Again, he went completely ignored. "Can't anyone tell me where we can buy food?" he half-shouted.

_Of course he's hungry_, Maka thought. _Men are always hungry…_

Soul's red eyes narrowed and scanned person to person. None of them wanted to give him the time of day. That is, until a light tap on his shoulder caused him to turn and face a middle-aged man that had all the lines of laughter and grief creased into his features. "You'll find nothing. No one dares stay out much later than it is now. I would suggest you find yourself straight to an inn while you still can. You might be able to catch the keeper before he locks himself away too."

"What! But, we're-" Maka started.

"But, why the hell—" came Soul's voice at the same time.

"I have to be going too. Take care. Stay inside," the man mumbled quickly before hurrying past and carrying on his way.

"Getting information here isn't going to be easy," Soul said cooly.

Maka groaned.

* * *

The pair made it to the only inn they could find just in time, it seemed. There was still a short man scrambling around the office of a rather small building. There were only two rooms belonging to this inn, as far as they could tell. A sign on the window still said 'For room, see the cook at the café next door'.

"Maka."

"Yeah?"

"If everyone is in such a hurry to go home and hide behind locked doors, don't you think something odd must happen at night?"

"Yeah, but…" her stomach grumbled again. Of course, she had given it thought. Certainly she knew that they should be out searching for the trouble maker rather than looking to bunk down for the night. More than anything, she thought she wanted to make him a death scythe, but… She was so hungry, and the thought that the inn just might provide food was a thought too strong to ignore. Surely, Soul could appreciate the idea of food.

Seeing the two strangers standing outside simply staring, the little man hurried toward the door, swung it open, and called out in a strangely deep tone. "Room? Come in Come in!" He disappeared from the door and behind a tall desk. Reluctantly, Maka moved toward the door and let herself in, only to have a set of keys thrown straight toward her head. Completely unaware of the possibility that the man could be in such a hurry he wouldn't take the time to hand her the keys rather than chunk them at her, Maka was caught off guard and sent stumbling backwards into Soul in surprise. Happening to be in the right place at the right time, her partner caught her with one hand on her waist and the other on her arm.

"Pay when you leave," shouted the little man before turning off the lights, disappearing behind another door and slamming it shut.

"Wait!" Maka cried, pulling herself up from Soul's grip. "You're not going to offer us anything to eat? What kind of place is this!" Her expressions hardened as her hunger began to turn into something much more brutal. Her nails dug into her palms as she balled her fists.

"Hey."

Maka's glare moved swiftly from the darkened door to the face of her partner.

"You said we'd find something… So, we will."

Sometimes he was just too cool. Maka's expressions softened a little. She lifted her angry fist into the air to change it into one of determination. "Right."

They did not get five whole steps from the door before it happened.

She felt the soul of a witch.

* * *

**Not as cutesy as the first chapter, but we're getting there!**

**Next chapter should be up soonish. :]  
**


	3. Chapter 3: Something Else

"I felt it-" she panted. "I know I felt it!"

Maka Alburn's gloved hands gripped tighter at her weapon as she ran in between and around buildings. For a moment she had been certain she felt the soul of a witch, but why they would have released their soul protect for merely a moment she did not know. All that she knew was the general direction it came from and that she needed to be on the scene as soon as possible. Her pigtails flew wildly behind her as she ran, only to come flying up in front of her face as she came to an abrupt halt. The alley ways she had been using to skirt through the town led her to a dead end. "Damnit," she exclaimed exasperatedly before turning around and starting a run in the opposite direction. Only once she had built up enough speed, she pushed off the ground to send herself flying up to a stack of crates only to kick off of them in turn – sending them tumbling to the ground noisily – then kicked off of the neighboring wall to send herself up to the roof. In mid-air she painstakingly realized that she was not going to make it all the way up without more help than the momentum she had given herself. So, her only choice was to damage the house's roof by swinging her weapon violently toward it to use it as a sort of grappling hook. Once it was in, she kicked off the wall again and pulled herself upward by Soul's handle to lift herself onto the roof.

"Who needs a witch when you have Maka to destroy your homes?" echoed the voice of her partner.

"Shut up!" she coughed at him. Once up, she didn't waste another moment lingering. She had made enough of a fuss to alert the witch of her presence. They had barely arrived in town when she felt it… getting it over with quick and easy would be ideal. Then, she could be off to home where multitudes of food was waiting for her.

"Maka… It could be a trap. Don't you think you should stop and think about this before running in?"

Maka's determination only got stronger as Soul lectured her. "Shut up," she mumbled again through a pant just before jumping from one roof to another. Many roof-tops later, Maka's feet slowed as she finally let her mind stop to think about the situation. Her pace then came to a halt just at the edge of a roof. "Come to think of it… it is strange how briefly I felt it. It is as if they let down soul protect simply to tell me they were here…" Maka looked over her shoulder at the distance she had made. She felt she was nearly there… "Or, they let it down only briefly in order to attack someone," she suggested. After all, everyone was so afraid to be out after this hour. Perhaps this was why. "Still… we can't just let her get away. We're ready for anything she can throw at us." She gripped even tighter. As long as she believed it, it must be true. "Right, Soul?"

"Sure."

"Don't 'sure' me! You're either with me or against me. So, are you with me?" She shouted at her weapon.

"Always, Maka."

That response was all she needed. She kicked off again and made for the final stretch that stood between her and the point she had sensed the soul of a witch. Only six or seven roofs later brought her to the edge of town. She hesitated at the end of the last roof, but seeing no one she hopped straight down to the dirt path that lay beneath it. Here, there was nothing but nature… She did not even hear people from within the buildings behind her. There was just her, Soul, the dirt and greenery before her. "She must have left this way…"

"This is where you felt it?"

"Yes… I am positive. I…" She paused, as if her voice got caught in her throat.

"What? Maka, do you sense something?"

"No…" she answered hesitantly.

"Then what's wrong!"

"I don't feel anything," she answered her partner in a half-whisper. Her eyes darted over the area frantically for a moment, and then slowed as she attempted to concentrate once again. Something was strange here. More strange than usual, that is. Maka turned to her left, scanning the empty dirt path she had landed upon, trying to put her thoughts together into something coherent. Then, to the right. Of course she saw nothing. "I-I don't feel any souls on this side of town at all," she finally admitted. Her green eyes moved forward to stare at the tall patch of moon-lit sunflowers that lay before her. "It's as if they were avoiding it…" Hesitantly, she took a step forward.

"Maka…" Soul muttered with caution dripping from his tone.

What could be hidden here that would scare everyone from their homes on this side of town? Nothing was visibly strange about it, but such was the nature of a witch's magic. She might not see it coming.

Then, rather than feeling the presence of another soul aside from her own and Soul's, her ear twitched as she heard a rustling from ahead. It came from within the field of flowers that stood taller than she did. "Someone's there," she whispered, tightening her grip again. "In this field." She still could not feel a single human soul nearby, so it had to be the witch.

"It's looking more and more like a trap," he warned.

Soul's voice hummed in her ears as her eyes narrowed. "Yes. Trying to lure me in, but I don't need to go in." Stepping closer to the field, Maka put one foot forward to steady herself and lifted her weapon up and off to the right. With one wide sweep, she mowed down a thick layer of flowers. Thick green stalks and pollen went flying all over the scene. Quickly, she stepped forward a little further and took another large sweep over the field. This time, the greenery she cleared revealed a cloaked figure standing hunched just a little further in. Maka's eyes narrowed further as her prey was spotted.

"Good work, my child. A sharp ear you have, but it isn't enough," the figure uttered, in a sharp and high-pitched tone.

By her words, Maka could be sure that the person she now faced was the one she sought. Swiftly, she raised her weapon once again, but in mid-swing the figure was gone in a puff of black smoke and a childish giggle.

"Damn it!" she shouted, kept swinging at the field, even though she was certain there was definitely no one there anymore. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" As she took the last swing, her shoulders ached. She had been swinging so carelessly that she had not paid any attention to her form and abused her back in the process. This only made her more angry.

"Calm down," came his cool voice finally. "We'll get her. Nothing can get away from us."

He really needed to stop being so cool. It was too…helpful.

Maka stood up straight with a sigh and leaned her demon scythe against her shoulder. "I'd like to say that at least perhaps we scared her off from the town, but she seemed to enjoy it too much…"

"She definitely lured us here," Soul filled in. "Chances are—"

"She'll find us."

* * *

With her head tilted ever-so-slightly downward, Maka marched through the small town filled with dead streets with her weapon in hand. She had no allowed him to transform back yet, just in case she got another opportunity on the way home. Her expressions were the epitome of determination tainted by anger. She was too restless for her own good. Too restless for Soul's good… It was getting her nowhere. She was too impulsive where one should be withdrawn and thoughtful, and too thoughtful when she needed to be impulsive and outspoken. She was so backwards…and therefore useless to him.

Bit by bit, the frequency of her footsteps got lower and lower. Her head fell further and further. Her tough expressions softened and her eyelids drooped. Her entire body seemed to be weighing down on her. She felt so heavy she just might hit the ground at any moment. Even the feeling in her hands seemed to be failing her. Could it have been bothering her that much? Was she really on the edge of a breakdown?

No…it was something else. Something…

Coming to a complete halt at last, Maka pressed the end of her weapon against the ground with the last bit of strength she had. She then leaned forward against it, but given her strength was waning more and more by the second, she could not even manage to balance in this position. The world was so hazy all of a sudden. It was beginning to spin so wildly she could not keep up.

Next thing Maka knew, warm arms were wrapping around her waist. It took little thought to realize who it was, but even that much thought seemed like a great task. All she really knew for sure was that it was the most comfortable feeling she had ever felt.

* * *

**^_^ Nyan!**


	4. Chapter 4: Stay Cool

**Thank you "That Person" for being the first to review my work. ^-^ It flattered me so.**

**I'm glad you think my grammar is beautiful. I've felt like ever since I came to Japan, I have been losing my English. I say some of the stupidest things sometimes that not even I understand!**

**I know these chapters are a little short, but I'm doing it that way so that I can post more frequently. Hope you enjoy this chapter even more than the last. ^_^**

* * *

In accepting silence, Soul listened to and watched his partner as she trudged so angrily back into the town. Clearly, she had wanted to get the mission over with promptly rather than lingering in the small town where she was being deprived of food. Well, that plus her ever-present desire to attain death scythe status for him. It was actually kind of cute how angry she got. This time, it was not at him. It so often seemed to be him that upset her. Granted, half the time she was angry at him he instigated it just to see that adorable glare that screamed absolute doom and utter destruction. The other half of the time he had no idea in the world what he had done wrong. Women were so complicated…

Gradually, soul began to see differences in this walk from her normal angry walk. Her pace was a different beat, her grip on his waned, and her scowl was lessoning. What could possibly be on her mind that would calm her so quickly? Something had to be bothering her. He could not think of anything happy occurring recently that would have left a residual dose of 'it will all be okay' in her mind. No. Something must have been wrong.

"Maka…Is everything oka—" Soul stopped when Maka did. What now? Her eyes… She looked so sleepy. Not only had they not really excerted all that much energy that day, but it was highly unlike her to succumb to drowsiness while still standing. Sitting and reading, sure, but not standing.

Once she began to lean against him, he simply could not take anymore. His transformation was simple enough, but since she was already leaning against him and holding on it was slightly trickier. The first thing to materialize was his right arm, which quickly snaked around her waist as she fell forward into his chest. This time, he was not so pleased to see a mess of ash blonde hair strewn about the front of his jacket.

"Maka? Maka!" he pleaded as he shook her gently. "Maka, can you hear me? Shake your head, wiggle a finger, something!" No matter how much he pleaded, she seemed determined for sleep. But, was it just sleep? "Wake up, damn it!" he shouted at the limp body in his arms.

It was useless.

Soul was scared out of his mind. What could he do for her? He should have been able to prevent this. Still, he had no idea how it had happened at all. Did the witch follow them?

Desperately, Soul's eyes darted around in search of another figure. Anyone. Anything…

Something.

"This is so uncool," he groaned, his voice muffled by her hair as he hung his head. There was only one thing he could think of to do. Carefully, he removed one arm from around her waist, stepped to the side, and then slid the free arm behind her knees to scoop her up. It was awkward at first. He tried to get comfortable with the weight in his arms while also trying to pay attention to what position her head was in. He did not want her head to just hang limply from her neck only to swing around while he walked. That would certainly not feel good if she woke. WHEN she woke. So, he had to turn her slightly so that she would lean into him. In the end, he managed to maneuver her so that he both was comfortable and had her head settled on his shoulder. It would have been cool to carry her like this were the circumstances different. Given the situation, he just could not enjoy any part of it.

* * *

The only thing that kept Soul's heart calm through carrying his partner across town was the fact that he could still feel her warm breath dancing across his neck at a steady pace. She had even moved her arm, clutching on to his jacket weakly. Whatever the reason she were suddenly unconscious, her life did not appear to be slipping at all. In fact, he thought she seemed rather comfortable. Despite this, every few steps he had to remind himself, "She's just asleep…She's tired."

The more he tried to think of ways he could help her, the more he seemed to frustrate himself. Getting upset was not going to help him think, but it was so difficult to avoid. He thought of doctors, but even if he could manage to get their attention enough to make them open their doors tonight, what could they do? By all means, she simply appeared to be asleep. Those stupid humans would not know how to help her. Even if they did, he would have to break down their doors to get them to tend to her at all.

Soul pulled the girl in his arms closer against his chest. He should call Shinigami-sama… Yes. Why didn't he think of it sooner? First, he had to lay her down, then he would find a mirror.

With that thought, his right foot fell on the edge of the front step to the inn's office. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had not realized his feet had guided him mindlessly the whole way back. Now that he was here, he had to shake off his thoughts of calling Shinigami-sama just to make space for the process of getting her to a bed. With a light lean to one side, he noticed the only two rooms that belonged to the inn. Neither of them seemed occupied, but which one was theirs? Come to think of it…what had she done with the key?

Great. She probably had it in some pocket that he could not reach. "Maka… It would be totally cool if you would wake up already!" he complained to no listener.

Soul turned to face away from the inn, and then suddenly bent down to sit on the front step. Leaning back, he sat Maka down in his lap to lay against him so that he could reach for her coat pockets without dropping her. It was a little awkward, admittedly, but he was unwilling to put her on the ground. Even worse than the awkwardness was the sheer torture it was to have his face smothered by her hair while he tried blindly reaching for her pockets. He truly did not understand how girls could do it. Her hair was so perfectly soft…and smelled of flowers. As if that wasn't enough, the hand that had gripped his jacket slid around his neck as she settled against him. It was a task for him to keep his focus on his current mission. Every other part of his body simply wanted to wrap his arms around her, pull her hard against him and never let go. But…his heart screamed for attention. What joy would there be if she never woke up?

That possibility was his only thing that kept him submitting to the trance she induced. Her coat had to be pulled up toward him so that he could reach the pockets. It was difficult to focus on both at the same time, so he went one side at a time. First, he checked the right. Nothing. Then, he pulled up the left. He was pleased to feel that it was slightly heavier than the right, but sticking his hand did not at first give him the impression he was looking for. The first thing his hand brushed over felt like paper, which he pulled up and handed over to his other hand to get it out of the way and returned to reach further. Thankfully, a key was there, having been hidden beneath the paper. Lifting the key in the air revealed exactly what he hoped to see; it was a bronze-colored key with a big 2 on the top. Still holding the key and paper in either hand, he moved his arm beneath her leg once again so that he could stand.

Getting the door unlocked and opened was a challenge, but he managed it quickly enough. He pushed the door open with his foot only to look in at a pitch black room. Past the entry tile, he could not see anything at all. A new challenge.

Carefully, he stepped forward, inspecting the ground with his foot. First thing he met was what felt like a wall, though it was easy to assume it was simply a step up into the room. This was not going to work. He needed light, but both of his hands were too occupied to search for a switch. Still unwilling to simply set her on the ground, he could think of one option… The only reason it seemed an option at all was the fact that Maka was out cold. Surely, if she woke up he would get beaten to no end.

Without a single thought further, he shifted her toward him again so that her chest directly faced his and put down her legs as if to stand her up. Having to let go of the door with his foot, it swung shut behind him. With his one arm still around her back to hold her up, he moved his other down to lift her leg and move it around his back. Given that her arm was still around his neck, he hoped that she would do some part of the work for him. He leaned back, so that she would be balanced against him for at least a moment while he swiftly moved his arm from her back to pull up her other leg and lift her up once again. Just as he had hoped, her arms used his neck to hold herself…and her legs even gripped at his sides softly when he finally lifted her. Her face was buried between his neck his collar, breathing warm air against his flesh.

_Stay cool._

Pulling her up further and still leaning back, he moved one arm beneath her bottom to hold her while the other reached out toward the wall. God, did she feel heavier than she looked. _God_, did she smell good.

_**Stay cool.**_

Blindly, Soul ran his hand along wall in hope that he would find a light switch near the door. It was not until he finally stepped up into the room that his hand brushed a square piece of plastic about shoulder height high on the wall. It seemed oddly high for a light switch, but he pressed at it anyway. Unfortunately, instead of light the only thing that changed in the room was an unexpected cold breeze directed straight down at them from above. Maka's arms tightened around his neck suddenly. Pressing the button again did not succeed in turning off the device, but instead made the breeze colder. It was no use continuing to press buttons he could not see. He would likely just make it worse. So, he continued down the wall to attempt to find a light switch. It could not possibly be this far from the door.

A few steps later and Soul's shin met uncomfortably with the edge of something hard. "Umph." With further inspection (meaning he lifted his foot up and kicked at things until he gained some understanding of what he was kicking), Soul determined that was had been just the right height to uncomfortable meet the bruise on his shin that Maka had given him earlier…was a bed. At least, the squishy nature seemed to act like a mattress. Even though he still could not see much, it was some relief that he could at last lay her down and go search for light unburdened. Carefully, he knelt at the edge of the bed and leaned her back. Before letting her lay all the way down, he first reached behind her to make sure there was space and he was not about to drop her against a wall or something. The coast was clear, as far as he could tell.

Laying her down and being off to find light would have been an easy task, if only she had not held fast to his neck. As he tried to get up, she nearly took his jacket off of him from holding on. "Maka. I need you to let go," he uttered softly, trying to gently pull her arms down.

"Don't." Her voice was pleading and weak.

This caught him by surprise. "Are you awake?"

"I'll be nothing…" she whispered.

His brow furrowed. What in hell was that supposed to mean? "Maka, what are you talking about?"

His only response was the sound of soft breathing. She was asleep again. Or, still asleep.

He still needed to move her the rest of the way onto the bed, since her legs were still hanging off the side, but since she would not let go of him, he would have to do it while still on top of her. With one arm underneath her back and one holding up her left leg, he scooted her back then turned her to the side so that she may lay in the right direction – having to crawl between her legs all the way. Still, she did not let go. By now his eyes had adjusted to the dark a little more. He could just barely see the lining of her face in the slight amount of moonlight that snuck into the room. She looked too peaceful. She looked angelic.

Lowering himself onto his elbows, he rested his forehead against her collarbone. "Damn it, Maka… Why won't you wake up?"

There were several minutes of silence as he leaned against her before her arms loosened and began to slip from his back.

"I'm tired…" she mumbled. There almost seemed to be a hint of sadness to her voice this time.

It was enough reassurance for him for the moment. She was just tired, and this was his chance to go find light, turn off the blasted air conditioning, and find a mirror.

He just had to stay cool.

* * *

**Hope it made sense. I found it difficult to describe what I was picturing this time around! X_X**


	5. Chapter 5: Tainted Memory

Brilliantly green eyes blinked open reluctantly to the rudeness of an obnoxiously bright light coming in through the window. The assault made her squeeze her eyes shut and bury her face in her pillow again. Why was it so bright? Had she been sleeping that long? Usually she woke up early. At least it was Saturday. She did not necessarily need to hop out of bed just to scramble around her room getting ready like a crazy person. She was incredibly hungry, though. It was just enough of a motivation for her to push herself up into a sit and try to fight the brightness. It took what felt like forever for her eyes to adjust.

Oh, the smell of something delicious had leaked into her room. It seemed as if it was right in front of her face, beckoning her to the kitchen.

"Mmm," she hummed as she lifted from her bed and moved for the door. It took little to no effort to open the door, as if it had simply opened itself. At first, all she saw was light before the sight of the living room and kitchen came into view. The TV was left on, but on a dead channel playing nothing but white noise. It was somehow eerie. It was distracting, and yet something else tugged at her mind and stole her attention. Soul, her partner and the one and only man she felt she could trust, was standing in the kitchen flipping pancakes.

"_Maka?_" his voice seemed to echo. It rang in her ears like a melody she couldn't and wouldn't dare erase. "Finally awake, I see," he said flatly.

"Yeah. I don't know why I was so tired…" She truly didn't. She had no idea what she had done yesterday that would have exhausted her so. She could only assume it was due to training.

..

Maka looked up at her partner who was sitting across the table from her. He was chowing down on his pancakes without a care in the world. She still sat with hers sitting before her perfectly buttered and untouched. For reasons she did not know, she could not bring herself to eat it. It seemed somehow foreign to her, despite how loudly her stomach growled at her to stuff her face. She was too distracted.

She smiled softly as she watched him. He was acting so nonchalant, but she still felt like the moment was special. A treasured memory.

With his last forkful just about to take the final plunge into his mouth, Soul paused as he looked over at his meister. Quickly, she looked down at her plate. How embarrassing…she had been staring.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

"No," she giggled at his question.

"Then why the hell are you staring?"

"No reason."

"Then stop it and eat." His voice sounded so demanding. Was something bothering him?

"I-I'm not hungry," she lied, her face being hidden by her bangs.

His fork landing loudly on his plate nearly shocked her out of his seat. "Well, if you're done, I have to talk to you."

..

Maka was utterly confused. Here she was staring at her partner, who had packed bags in hand, in utter disbelief. He looked at her with distance in his eyes.

"You're leaving?" she questioned, her voice barely rising above a whisper.

"Yup," was all he answered. Some talk.

That one word burned straight through her. She felt as if she had been shot in the chest. With one hand, she grasped on to the front of his jacket and looked down. "I've disappointed you?" Speaking without crying was becoming more and more difficult.

"That's your problem, Maka. You're so worried about disappointing people that you fulfill your own prophecy."

Her heart felt as if it were threatening to come to a full stop. Next thing she knew, she was wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her face against his shoulder. The urge to cry was burning at the edge of her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"An apology won't make me stay."

His words were so cold she could swear she felt it blow over her like a rush of cold wind. No. This could not be happening. It could not be real. The only thing she could do to fight it off was to tighten her grip on the back of his jacket.

His hand touched her side. Though she knew it, she could barely feel it. His other hand pulled gently at one of her arms. "You're going to have to let me go. My ride will be here any minute."

"_Don't…"_ she cried into his shoulder. "Don't go," she pleaded.

"You'll be better off without me anyway," he said brazenly. "You'll find a new weapon in no time. Just show them your grades from school and they'll be begging you to let them in."

"No," she shouted into his shoulder. "No…" she mumbled more quietly. "I don't want to fight without you. I couldn't. _I'll be nothing._"

"I'm that important to you?" his voice almost sounded as if it were coming through a sneer, though how she could tell she did not know.

"Yes," she squeezed again.

"Then, don't think of me."

This time, it really felt like her heart had stopped. "W-what?" she uttered in disbelief.

"_It would be totally cool if you would wake up already, Maka!_" he half-shouted at her. "I'm not coming back. Get over it. If you stop thinking about me, you will forget me. If you forget me, you won't hurt." Why did his voice seem so flat? It was cruel.

"But…"

Was it really an option? Could she forget him and move on with her life? Her arms felt weak. She could feel his slipping away from her arms, but she could do nothing to stop it. Her heart refused to restart. She felt as if she was suffocating as her throat locked up. Tears streamed down her cheeks like rivers made of fire. It burned like nothing else ever could.

"Forget me," he whispered coldly.

"Shut up," she whispered. "I-_I'm tired_… I'm tired of hearing it."

He could not hear her anymore. He was gone. She was alone, standing in a bright doorway…without him. The person no one could replace.

"I could never forget you…" she croaked.

* * *

**I was going to put in another episode in this chapter, but I just liked how this one ended. :] Hope it wasn't hard to follow ~ it's meant to be a little confusing.**


	6. Chapter 6: The Dreamy and the Lost

Thank you for all of the reviews recently! It motivated me to finish this chapter and get it uploaded. I recently moved back to America from Japan, so I have been crazy busy. I'm sorry it took so long, and I hope this one is up to snuff - meaning: makes any sense at all. :] Enjoy.

* * *

At last Maka had released her grip on his neck and Soul was free to search for a way to help her. All that needed to be done was to find the light, turn off the obnoxiously cold air and find a mirror. He could do that. It was too simple, really. It seemed easy, at least. What defeated him now was the overwhelming desire to stay where he was. Honestly, who would want to leave? He had the silhouette of an angel illuminated between his arms.

No. He had to wipe it from his mind in order to make sure she did not stay this way. As sweet and innocent as she looked asleep, her conscious destructiveness was what attracted him to her in the first place. With how suddenly she had fallen asleep, he could not be sure if it was just regular drowsiness that took her over. There had to be something else to it. Blast that woman – or whatever it was – for doing this to Maka. Oh, how tasty their soul would be…now more than ever before.

Having rediscovered his strength, Soul pushed himself up off the bed. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, if he just opened the door again to let in more moonlight, he might just be able to see what was on the wall. As it was without the door open, he thought he could see dark squares on the wall near the bed as well as by the window and the door. Even though the room seemed much wider when he had been searching with a body in his arms, now that he was burden free the single stride it took to reach the door made just how small the room was more obvious. It was practically just door and bed. Not that it mattered, it just meant less room to illuminate and search.

After pushing the door open, Soul kicked off his shoes and shoved one with his foot under the door to prop it open. He then turned his back to the door to eye the walls. His plan had worked wonderfully. There was a switch on the wall by the bed.

Unaware Soul moved toward the light switch which brought his back both to the door and sleeping Maka. Silent as death, a slithering shadow snaked in through the doorway. As quick as lightning, it climbed across the floor, up the side of the small bed, and found itself wrapped around the sleeping one's head.

Maka moaned as if in pain just as the light came on and illuminated the entire room. When Soul turned around to look at her, there was nothing to be seen but a sleeping woman squeezing her eyes shut tightly and an oddly decorated room.

Now Soul could see why he saw dark squares on the wall near the window and door. There were crimson scrolls with ancient script pasted all over. The curtains were clipped against the wall so that there would be no gaps – though some were incidentally left open. What had they checked into? There was only a single thing sheet on the bed. The innkeeper apparently had neglected to provide a proper blanket.

First draping his jacket over his partner's shoulders and using the sleeve to cover her eyes while he kept the light on, Soul moved to shut the door again and turn off the AC. As he shut the door, he discovered more of the odd scrolls pasted on the back of the door. Strangely, the AC only had three buttons. One had an up arrow, one down, and one the power symbol. He had clearly turned it on with the up arrow. It seemed like a cheap set-up, but it certainly did get awfully cold fast. So, it must be fairly effective in the summer. For now, though, it was hardly necessary. It was more of an inconvenience. So, he pressed the power button and turned to look around the room for a mirror.

Soul's chin draped out of shock and hint of anger. What kind of place didn't provide a mirror?

"Soul," murmured her sweet voice. It seemed dreamy and lost.

* * *

There was restlessness in the air that could not be denied. It felt like it had been so long since anything significant happened that something seemed to be missing from her life. For others, like Black Star, it caused them to skip classes, but for Maka it simply caused her attention to wane. School had gotten stale. What was she supposed to do with herself? She still had not made Soul into a death scythe. Her perfect grades could not atone for that failure. Distractedly, Maka had doodled all over her notes rather than listening to anything the professor had been instructing. She even missed the homework assignment. All of it made her head hurt as if her brain was being squeezed from all sides.

Maka glanced up in surprise when Stein announced the class finished. The room suddenly seemed so bright. It was difficult for her to keep her eyes open, but even with them shut it did not take away the pain. Glancing around the room briefly, she saw people already walking out – they had readied their bags already. Really…she could have sworn she had just sat down and was simply waiting for instruction to begin. How could it already be over? Nearly everyone had already left the room, leaving her sitting their alone. Following everyone else's lead, she picked up her bag and notebook and began heading for the door. Where was her mind today? It was so unlike her to ignore class, but something was bothering her.

Something was tugging desperately at the corners of her mind. It screamed that something was missing. The scene was wrong. It was stale. Lifeless. What was she trying to tell herself?

Suddenly, her upper body seemed to warm as a familiar smell surrounded her. The smell of leather and…his deodorant.

"Tch…Another essay." The voice danced into the girl's ears like the most welcome tune.

She spun around on her heel to face the speaker. There stood the white haired and ever-nonchalant man that was her partner. "_Soul_…" Her tone had heightened with excitement, as if she had not seen him in ages. "I thought you weren't here," she mumbled.

What was she saying? He was always there. He would never leave her.

"Almost wasn't."

What an odd thing to say…

* * *

Her voice had been the perfect distraction for Soul to get his mind back on track. If there was not a mirror here, surely there would be one in the bathroom. Now…

If only there actually was a bathroom. The room was just that: a single room. It was a bed, an AC unit, a window, and a door. He would have to find a window somewhere else. The question was, would he be able to at this hour when everyone in town had retired to their houses in darkness and utter silence? He had to try.

Briefly, Soul turned back toward his partner. He then bent, pressed his lips against her forehead gently, ran his fingers through her hair, whispered, "I'll be right back, I promise," and was out the door. As the door closed behind him, Maka rolled over onto her side and reached her hand out weakly at nothing.

* * *

"Someone should be here…"

_There's no one._

"But, there's always someone here."

_You're alone, Maka._

"That doesn't make any sense."

_Why does it need to?_

"He's always here…"

Maka's eye lids very slowly rolled open to reveal glazed green orbs. She felt so drowsy and the rest of the world around her seemed to reflect it. The images were so lazily put together. Actually, it was more like the images were struggling to _stay_ together. The only thing she knew for certain was where she was. It was home, after all. On her own couch, she was sitting at the edge of her seat with her hands on her knees. The window appeared to be confused about what season it was outside. The trees had all the colors of fall protruding from a thin layer of snow while spring flowers bloomed all over. All around her there were smiles of all shapes and sizes, but their owners were not yet known. They were friendly and comforting, but somehow still troubling. There was just one thing about the smiles that bothered her: one was missing.

Slowly, Maka's head turned to eye the empty space next to her immediate left. It was confusingly spacious, that couch - far more so than it should be. After eyeing the seat up and down, Maka reached a hand out to it. For some reason, she expected resistance. She expected to find something there, but her hand instead met strangely warm fabric.

Her confusion was calm before, but now it seemed panicked. Repeatedly, she reached out to the space, retracted her hand, then reached out again in hopes that whatever she was searching for would magically appear.

_Why won't you give up?_

"It's wrong."

_There is nothing wrong._

"It's all wrong!" Maka shouted. Her voice echoed as a pair of red eyes flashed at her. Shocked, Maka looked up where she thought she saw the strange eyes. For the moment she could not see them, but something in the back of her mind was telling her they were still there. He was still with her.

Maka reached out again, but this time for where the face belonging to the eyes would be. There was nothing.

"He should be here."

_Who?_

"Him…"

_If you cannot say the name, perhaps it does not exist. Everyone has a name, so _he_ must not exist either._

"You're wrong."

_Am I?_

"He has a name."

_Oh? That being?_

It was at the tip of her tongue, the back of her mind, caught in her throat, and filling her chest with the warmest and most frightening emotion. An eerie chuckle echoed in Maka's mind as she struggled.

_Just give it up. _

"Give _him_ up?"

_Of course._

"I could never give up Soul." She had said his name without realizing it, and by doing so brought even more back from the depths of her mind. His image snapped back into view as if he had been sitting there the whole time. He was leaning back and looking up at her with a mischievous smirk. Excitedly, she grabbed for his hand. "You're here!"

"Zutto koko ni iru ne."

"E-excuse me?" First she was threatened with his non-existence, and now he was speaking nonsense?

_Just give him up!_

"Never," Maka stated defiantly.

_Fine. If you refuse to forget him, I will take _all_ of your memories._

"I will make new ones."


	7. Chapter 7: Brilliant and Beautiful

It was the perfect day for a walk. The air felt crisp and pleasing with every intake. There were just enough clouds to dampen the sunlight to that perfect mixture of cool and warm. Cool enough to keep the body at just the right temperature to keep walking all day, and warm enough that light and easy clothes were all that were necessary. Irresistible was the perfect adjective to describe the weather today. How could anyone resist going outside to enjoy it? The very thought was simply absurd. All it took was a sticking her head out the window for a single second for her to decide that her feet needed to be shoed and on the path out her front door.

Maka was out for what felt like hours, simply walking around, street to street, until her feet did not want to take her any further. She had walked herself into a small bind, but it was not as troublesome as she might have expected it would be. She had lead herself to a street she did not recognize. It almost seemed like a different town entirely. Despite the fact that she had no idea where she was anymore, Maka was unwilling to allow it to shake her pleasant mood. Everything seemed so neutral and comfortable here.

Framed just at the end of the street from where she stopped was a sight that caught her attention almost immediately. The falling sun was illuminating and silhouetting a voluminous tree on a small hill just outside of town. It called to her just as the weather had and brought her feet into a walk again despite how they ached. In no time, she was looking up into the ample branches of what she now saw as an apple tree from its base. The light was dancing through the plentiful leaves throwing a pattern of stars on the ground beneath her and far behind her leading back toward town. Maka turned slowly in place to look at them all. The flickering light made the stars appear to twinkle at her feet.

Here... This place was different from all the rest. There was no neutrality, no simple existence. It was brilliant and beautiful. As if she had never known a real smile before Maka's lips curved upward to display her pure satisfaction and excitement.

Maka was no longer looking down at something that reflected dazzling stars on the ground, but was now staring longingly upward at the real things. She was lying in the grass beneath the tree and surrounded by fallen apples. Who could say how long she had been there? All that she really knew was that she had yet to think of a reason why she would ever leave.

Suddenly, she jumped in place, as if woken from a light sleep by a startling noise. Something had changed in her surroundings, and the only thing that marked it was a soft thudding sound against the earth. What was surprising was that whatever it was that had hit the ground was much larger than an apple. It also clearly had a different consistency. Plus, apples couldn't talk...

"Is this where you've been all day?" questioned the cool voice that tugged at every bit of her attention.

"_Soul?_..." Maka's head turned toward the snowy-haired and crimson-eyed man that was now lying next to her on the ground. He was on his side and balancing his head in his hand while his elbow supported its weight. He was staring at her with tired and secretively caring eyes.

"_Maka?_"

The very sight of him instilled a sort of smile on her lips unlike any other she had all day. Of course, how could it have slipped her mind? As beautiful as this place had seemed, any and every place would always be better with her partner around. He was the perfect weather, the beautiful sunrise, and the enchanting vista. At least, in her heart. Nothing and no one could ever replace him.

"For a little while," she finally answered, but her voice had suddenly failed her and she could only manage a whisper.

One corner of his mouth curved into that signature smirk of his. "Planning on coming home?"

"To you?"

"Well, yeah. It would be cool." Everything had to be '_cool_'

"_Well,_ _I wouldn't want to be_ _deemed uncool_," Maka muttered; her words were followed by a giggle.

"_You could never be uncool, Maka_." His words made her feel as if her eyes were being opened for the first time. She could feel his hand brush her cheek while he moved aside her stray strands of hair from her face, but she could not see it. All she saw was his eyes... Those crimson orbs that stole into her soul. Her _Soul._

Maka blinked, feeling as if darkness was trying to steal her vision away, but she was determined to see him. It couldn't be... She couldn't have him. "_She's trying to take you from me, Soul_..."

"_No one could take me from you, Maka_..."

The sound of his sweet voice danced into her ears as her eyes rolled shut. She was so suddenly sleepy and felt that her mind was being taken to another land while arms wrapped around her torso.

* * *

Yet another failure. Soul had run all around town looking for any kind of mirror, but at every turn he found more and more of...nothing. Even reflective surfaces like simple glass were hard to find. The villagers had sullied every single bit of glass so that nothing could possibly be reflected on their surfaces. It took two whole hours for the weapon to finally lose his cool. The situation was so outrageously uncool that he was no longer sure he could keep from breaking down doors and demanding assistance. He wanted to demand information from these secretive fools. How the hell were they supposed to help them if they did not help him!

No, he had to keep his cool and he knew it. If he could keep a calm head he could think of how to help her. Still, he was not a hundred percent sure that Maka was in danger at all. He could not go barging into people's homes if there was nothing wrong. Having determined this, Soul returned to his meister. She was alone in a strange town and he was meandering around uselessly. The least he could do is keep her company and wait till morning.

Upon returning to the room and finding her rolled over on her side with her back to the door, he was reassured with the possibility that all was still okay. After all, the only thing that seemed suspicious was the way she had fallen asleep. Soul had to kneel on the edge of the bed and lean over the unconscious meister's body to see her face. There was no sign of pain. In fact, she seemed rather peaceful – even happy. Placing his hand on her forehead only told him that she was a healthy temperature. By no means did she appear to be in danger. Unless, of course, one counted his growing affections for her a danger. It was something that had bothered him for a while. It was something that was effecting their connection already. They needed to understand one another in order to resonate. They needed...honesty. But, being honest about this matter only seemed like it would be more trouble than help. There were far too many what ifs to risk their friendship.

Maka stirred beneath him, catching Soul's attention. Blinking away his thoughts, he watched his meister for a few moments longer. She seemed even happier than she had when he got back. Surely nothing could be seriously wrong. She simply seemed to be dreaming. Whatever the dream was, it was apparently enjoyable.

Soul rolled back to sit on the edge of the bed. What more was there to do aside from let her rest? Nothing came to mind, so he adjusted his jacket to cover her shoulders again and then slid down to sit next to the bed with his back against the frame. It wouldn't be the most comfortable place to sleep, but he would take the rest where he could get it. Just minutes after he finally began drifting off to sleep an angelic voice found its way into his mind.

"Soul?..." It seemed questioning somehow. As if she was wondering if it was him who was really there. But, why would his imagination procure this tone to her voice? It was too peculiar to be his own mind. It just had to be...

Crimson eyes glanced up at the ashy blonde haired girl that faced the wall. Was she awake?

"Maka?" he called. He had hoped that she would respond and turn to him, but he was greeted only by silence. She must have been talking in her sleep again. Whatever she was dreaming, he was involved, but he was not sure whether to be flattered or bothered.

"I wouldn't want to be...uncool," she mumbled against the bed. He could just barely make out her words.

Heh... Uncool? She was definitely thinking about him. Thus, his attention was taken by her once again. Soul got up and sat on the edge of the bed again. "You could never be uncool, Maka," he admitted to the unconscious woman. It seemed somehow wrong to listen to everything she said in her sleep, like he was watching her dreams without permission, but he could not help but follow along. While waiting for the next thing she might say, assuming it would be any time soon, Soul leaned over his partner to see her face and brushed stray hair behind her ear. He was shocked by what he saw then.

Her expressions had suddenly become forlorn in a way. Something was bothering her after all...

"She's trying to take you from me, Soul," she muttered in an agitated whisper.

What? What kind of dream was this?

Soul pulled his partner over onto her back and leaned further, hoping her expression would change to something less bleak. Still, she seemed lost and distraught. Wrapping his arms around her back, Soul lifted Maka off the bed slightly and pulled her against his chest.

"No one could take me from you, Maka," he whispered into her hair as the room faded from around him.

* * *

Maka pressed her back firmly against the cold stone wall. It was the only thing that seemed inviting here. It was solid and unmoving, unlike the rest of the room. It felt like her entire world was closing in on her, but the door... That door across from her kept getting farther and farther away. She had bolted it shut, afraid of what might come through it, but clearly whatever force that lay beyond it was somehow getting through. It was like a leak in the roof that was letting the unknown power pour in drip by drip. Maka had no idea how to stop it.

Then, a knock sounded from the door. Maka jumped, trying to walk backwards but only finding the wall ever still behind her.

Another knock. "GO AWAY!" she screamed. Her own voice brought pain to her ears, echoing off the walls around her. It sounded like a hundred Makas were screaming all around her. Who was it anyway? Who wanted into her mind now?

A louder knock. "What do you want?!" She shouted at the door.

All sound seemed to stop for a moment. Even the furniture stopped scooting toward her.

"Maka..." cried Soul's voice from behind the thick wooden door. His voice was like music to her ears.


	8. Chapter 8: Under Control?

It felt like forever that he was swimming through darkness. All that he knew for sure what was he was looking for and that he was on his way. Unlike Maka, Soul could not sense the souls of any other people aside from his own meister. He knew her soul. It felt like magnetism pulling him toward her where ever she went. Even when she went to the library to pick out a new book, he would go with her. As much as he would bitch and moan about how uncool it was to be caught in a library, he simply could not see himself without her. Besides, what would she do if she was caught in need of a weapon and he was not there for her? She was tough and could likely use another weapon, but he could not allow it. _He_ was her weapon. There should never be a need for another.

He was close now. She was so close...

Reaching out into the darkness in front of him brought his fingertips in contact with what felt like wood. At last, a wall came into view. Before him stood a daunting wooden door. Instinctively, Soul reached for the handle but found his hand grasping at air. What was beyond it? Was it Maka?

Hesitantly, Soul knocked on the door.

"GO AWAY!" screamed a far-off voice. It was shrilly and muffled to the point that he could not be certain if the voice was hers or not.

So, he knocked again. This time, the response was a little quieter; though he could tell it was shouted, he could not make out a word of it.

"She's better off in there." The sound of her voice to his left made Soul jump in surprise. Maka had appeared at his side and was staring up at him with a pleased smile. She was wearing a yellow sleeve-less sundress that hugged her chest snugly and a faint touch of make-up on her cheeks. It was a surprising ensemble when compared with the conservative yet formal dress she wore when their minds met before.

"Huh...Who?" Soul's eyes were still locked on the woman's body.

"The witch," she answered simply. She was just too still...

"Why is she in there?" he questioned as one of his brows furrowed in confusion.

"She was trying to steal my memories, so I cornered her here. Now, she's stuck. There really is nothing you can do, I have everything under control."

She sounded so sure of herself. But, if it was true, why was she still here? Asleep... Soul started to open his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"I know what you're thinking. 'How could she have taken care of a witch without a weapon?'"

"Well, not exactly, but—"

"I'm not as fragile as you think I am. I don't need you to solve all of my problems. I'm not a child anymore," she stated flatly.

Soul's body seemed to harden. It took all of his strength to make his jaw move. "But, Maka I—"

"Why can't I get that through to you? Are you really that thick?"

Blankly, Soul stared at the glowing woman before him. His own brain seemed to be processing slowly, but all of the information was still getting in. He could see through all the cracks. They were too obvious really. As gorgeous as the woman before him was physically, she was not the one he pined for.

The white-haired man spun on his heel and pressed his hands to the door, hoping pushing was the way to open it. "Maka!" he cried.

"What now? You don't believe me?" questioned the sundress-wearing woman. She then leaned against the wall with her shoulder and tilted her head. "You've never been much of a thinker."

Soul growled then whipped his head back toward the smart-talking stranger. "If you are the one who locked her in, then why is it locked from the inside?" His voice was the very essence of fury. He had to get in to Maka, but he first had to get her attention and trust enough that she would let him in. It was going to be difficult with _her_ standing right next to him waiting to get her fingers on his partner.

Her brow furrowed, feigning hurt in her expressions. She seemed so fake and it was infuriating.

Finally, Maka's voice sounded through the door. "_Soul?_" Her voice was drained and the magnet in his chest felt like it had gained power. It was his partner beyond that door and he knew it. No one could change his mind.

"Maka! Maka, open the door!" he shouted. "Let me in!"

The woman to his left growled. "You're going to let her take my mind?"

"I-I can't... She's... I'll...She'll take everything from me." Maka's voice was becoming increasingly difficult to understand.

"You think I would let her?" he shouted at the door. What she was talking about, he was not entirely certain, but he knew he would not let it happen. "Maka, don't you remember?... You saved me from the insanity of the black blood."

"Black...blood?" muttered the now wide-eyed woman beside him.

"All it took was you being with me. Together, nothing can harm us. She can't take anything from you as long as I'm around. I won't allow it!" The end of his speech met silence. Not even a mumble sounded from behind the door, but his soul told him what she was doing. He could feel her hot tears running down her cheeks as if they were his own.

"Just give up," groaned the witch posing as his partner.

"I will _never_ give up on you, Maka!"

* * *

It took a few moments for her to truly realize what she had heard. As the thought sunk in, it felt as if her heart has restarted. As if the entire time she had been in the room her heard had been motionless – stricken by fear. The worst thing she could imagine losing was exactly what was being threatened. By no means was she willing to part with her memories of him...

The furniture had begun moving again. They slowly slid their way closer and closer to her, filling in the space between her and the door that seemed to get further and further away. Soul was there... At least, it sounded real enough. If the intruder was trying to steal her memories of Soul, why would she use him to lure her out? She had to get to the door, but the way was quickly closing.

No... She could not sit here and wait for the world to swallow her whole. She would at least go down with a fight.

Just like that, Maka took off using the wall as a booster. She had to snake between and around chairs that immediately turned and shuffled toward her. Half-way through the army of objects that should otherwise be inanimate, Maka found her path blocked off by a large grand piano. By this point, she was too determined to let it stop her. So, she chose the over path. She jumped up, stepped on the keyboard and tried launching herself beyond the instrument. Strangely, it made no sound when she stepped. In fact, the keys weren't hard like what would be expected. They were soft, and immediately stretched out and grabbed on to her ankle in mid-air.

To save her face from a nasty meeting with the floor, she threw her hands out in front of herself to stop her momentum. Now upside down, she kicked violently at the keyboard and freed her foot just in time to flip backwards and narrowly miss the reach of a brass coat-rack. Now there was just the distance between her and the door.

That distance seemed to stretch on for miles. An eternity seemed to pass before she seemed to make any distance at all. Her weariness only strengthened her resolve. She would make it. She had to.

She was right, after all. Soul was always there. "Soul," she panted as she ran. And, like that she was there. She had not even realized the door had gotten any closer only that suddenly it was there. "Soul?..." she called through the side of the door, hoping her voice would make it through.

"Maka! Maka, open the door!" she heard him shout. "Let me in!"

Oh, what a tempting thought that was. Maka looked down at the handle and then up at the locks she had placed. "I-I can't... She's trying to take my memories, Soul. I'll forget you...She'll take everything from me."

"You think I would let her?" he shouted back. "Maka, don't you remember?... You saved me from the insanity of the black blood. All it took was you being with me. Together, nothing can harm us. She can't take anything from you as long as I'm around. I won't allow it!"

But...what good could he do if her memories were taken before he could get to her? Without her memories of him they were powerless as a team. There would be no going back. If the connection was severed and she was no longer able to resonate with Soul...he would no longer have a reason to be with her. It was a thought too painful to bear.

Maka was just wiping tears from her cheeks when she heard Soul's voice shouting through the door again.

"I will _never_ give up on you, Maka!"

In that instant, her fingers were fumbling over the locks.

* * *

Hearing the clicking of locks dislodging from the doorframe, the fake Maka outside the door smirked with pleasure. The foolish child was going to let her right in. Her shoulders lifted as her body stretched out into a mist-like form. She was poised and ready to strike as soon as the door would open, but the boy was ready as well.

He slid around to the side of the door, ready for the moment that it would swing open and he could dive in for his partner. He had mist as his enemy, though. She had the upper hand, or so she though. She would suffocate that child's mind and erase everything. She would no longer be a threat.

* * *

Finally, the door began to crack open and that magnet in Soul's chest tugged him harder than ever before. Just as soon as there was room, his hand shot in to reach for Maka. Simultaneously, a mist poured in from over his head. It threatened to surround Maka, but he got there first.

His fingers wrapped around her wrist and pulled her into his chest and out of the room. Behind her a room full of furniture and instruments evaporated into dust, spun up into the air to meet with the mist that the woman had become and shot toward them like arrows. Wrapping his arms around his partner's waist, he spun her around so that his back faced the enemy, smiled briefly toward her shocked expressions then pressed his cheek to hers and closed his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9: Everywhere Anywhere

**I'm sooorry it took so long! School started and I just couldn't manage to sit down and pump this one out. Hope it's satisfactory. :]**

* * *

It burned.

A gritty wind was whipping around her, biting at every available surface of her skin. It stung as it tore viciously at her consciousness. Part of her body was protected, at least. Soul was taking part of the beating for her. But, really... how could even this vicious wind steal her thoughts away from the extreme comfort that it was to feel his arms around her? With such care and affection he encompassed her. He was warm... So warm that it felt like she had never felt warmth before. The fiend that had been trying to steal away every thought that made her heart warm left Maka feeling empty. Empty, but ready for him to refill the gaps. She had almost forgotten how it felt when he held her. The touch of his hand. The warmth of his genuine smile – rare as they were. Now, with his arms wrapped around her waist and such a fresh memory of his smile burned into her mind, she felt like all time was stopping. Standing here forever, despite the unforgiving wind, would be favorable.

But...was she standing at all? Her feet felt no floor. Gravity felt...not backwards, but sideways.

There was no more wind.

* * *

_**If you won't let her go, I will take the both of you.**_

It was perfect. The light was sneaking through the curtains, gliding gracefully through the room, and landing with outstanding magnificence on the back of her head. Well, landing on the back of her head was not an accurate explanation. It was more like... dancing off of her hair - producing a mesmerizing golden sheen. Like every other time he managed to catch her completely unaware, she seemed completely lost in time. Ordinarily he liked when she let her hair down, but now it only served to hide her face from him as her face was buried in a book.

It was nothing out of the ordinary.

All except the urge.

Well, that was not such an accurate statement either. The urge was normal. All that was different now was how hard it was to suppress it. Normally his cool did all the work. Breaking character would not be cool. He only wanted one thing more than to rip every shred of clothing from her body and have her firmly trapped between his chest and the wall. Nowhere to run. No one else to turn to. No imaginary worlds to lose her mind in. Nothing else to feel except his sweltering passion for her. Far enough from any possible store of books that she would have _nothing_ else to do but accept it. Nothing else to do with her hands than to hold on.

Just the thought was exciting enough. He knew how soft her skin was. He had carried her plenty of times and felt the overwhelming sensation that was the bare skin of her legs. She might not have been the most girly girl around, but she had the silkiness to combat even the _girliest_ of women. With all the cuts, scrapes, bruises and beatings her skin had taken, she had still managed to have the supplest touch. Oh, and who cared if she did not have the biggest bosom or the widest hips in all the land? She had filled out just enough over the years he has lived with her to give him something to hold on to. There was plenty of her for him to sink his teeth into. Plenty of her for him to lose his mind to. If only she could lose her mind for him.

That was the thing, though, wasn't it? It was not her body that drew him in to begin with. How could he ask her to lose her mind when after all was said and done that was the one thing he loved most about her? It may be cool to be a slacker and a rebel, but there was nothing cooler than having that bookworm as a partner. After all, the one thing that he wanted more than his own physical pleasure was her happiness.

Soul's eyes opened to gaze upon his partner again. A breeze from nowhere brushed her hair, pushing it just far enough for him to see through the miniscule strands of light that her eyes were closed. She was sleeping? Of all the times he found her asleep with a book, this was the strangest position yet.

"Maka?" he called. His voice echoed off the walls as if the room were far emptier than it truly was. "You awake?"

No reply. Not even a twitch.

Soul stepped closer, leaning over her head in an attempt to get a look at her face again. The options bouncing around in his head now were focused on whether he should carry her to bed or wake her. It was daylight out; surely she would appreciate being woken. Still undecided, Soul took a seat next to her – facing the correct direction, that is. Maka swayed a little in spot, as if the seat was filled with water and she was following the waves he created. Mindlessly, Soul reached out to steady her. One hand holding her arm and the other resting on her stomach.

"Maka, wake up. If you're going to sleep, you might as well do it in bed." Still, she was silent. With him holding her body still, all that was left to sway was her head. He could not help his hands. He wanted to steady her...to hold her. Leaning closer, the arm once holding onto hers slipped around her back as his other hand moved up to hold her chin. Gently, he lifted her chin so that her hair fell to the sides of her face and the curtain which veiled her eyes from him would be lifted.

The expression on her face... One might call it peace, but Soul would call it withdrawn. His partner's body was in his arms, but her mind was so far away.

"Maakaaa," he called again, this time in a playful tone. This time, he got some response. Her eyes did no open, but her hand moved. It slid from her book and daringly up to his face. So, she couldn't be completely asleep, just simply not conscious of where she was. "Maka. You better wake up, or... I'll sell your diary to Black Star."

In that instant, a soul-piercing emerald gaze stared straight through him.

* * *

The ocean.

The ocean was serene, yet wild... It took what it wanted when it wanted it. It carved rivets in the land where men trek. It swallowed ships whole and buried them beneath its depths as it desired. It harbored enormous storms capable of leveling cities and drowning populations. Yes, the ocean was powerful. She was strong-hearted and opinionated, but she was not immune to poison of man. True as it was that there was nothing more wild and untamable, but man's seedy fingers could find a way to corrupt anything they touched.

The ashy-blonde haired girl leaned over the railing just above the angelic figurehead. Gazing down into the ocean their ship was ripping through while in route to a mysterious island was fascinating. It was both amazing and sad. She was excited to be on this adventure, but seeing how the other men acted upon the ship was appalling. They had little care for the sea that acted as their road to glory. How could they call themselves sailors if they had no respect for their mother, the sea?

Hurriedly, Maka made her way from the very tip to the stern. In no time, it seemed, she arrived and was staring out at the wake their ship was leaving behind. Perhaps it was simply symbolic, but it earth-shaking for her to see how rustled the water was. It seemed angry; it was brimming with white foam and churning ferociously. But...if one were to simply gaze a little further... they might see how the ocean edits itself. Sure, in the wake of the ship's passing, the water rolled with what seemed like anger. It was disturbed, no doubt. But, just a little further the water settled...And, further still the water curled back into shape and waved along as it always did. It found peace as quickly as it had found this sudden disturbance. It was an envious thing. Was peace so simple?

Before she realized her feet were no longer firmly placed against a wooden floor, Maka found her body swaying at the will of the ocean. Water surrounded her. Swallowed her. Was the ocean claiming her for its own? If so, it did not seem like such a bad thing.

"_Maka?"_

That voice... Was that the voice of the ocean? It knew her name. It knew her soul.

"_Maakaa."_

Her arm stretched out, trying so desperately to find something tangible to set the voice to.

"Maka. You better wake up, or... I'll sell your diary to Black Star."

Maka's eyes snapped open. It was not anger that composed her expressions, but confusion. Suddenly, she was no longer in water. In fact, she wasn't wet at all. She was staring into a pair of crimson orbs that were in turn staring into hers. The transition was shockingly fast. She could swear she still smelled the salt of the ocean, but everything else was gone. The scene was entirely different, though she could not say it was for worse.

Soul's face was priceless. It was rare that she got to see him smile – at least so genuinely. He seemed to be forcing a smirk, but it was not working to hide his beaming happiness. Aside from that, his hand was holding her chin up and his other arm was holding her waist and blocking her only exit. Still, she did not struggle.

"Good morning, sleepy head." His smirk was growing wider. Maka wished she could grab ahold of it and make it stop. It was corrupting his smile... The one that told her he was happy to see her. "Anything exciting in la-la land?" He was not letting go.

Maka was still trying to adjust to being so stationary, sitting so solidly on a couch when just seconds ago the ocean engulfing her seemed so vivid. She couldn't possibly fight him. "I-I guess so."

"Like what?"

"Well..." She paused, stopping to look around the small bit of apartment she could see from her current position. She was beginning to forget where she had previously been, honestly. It must not have been that interesting. "Nothing, really."

"That's not cool." Soul's hand left her chin and reposition behind his head as he leaned back against the couch. Still, he did not let go of her waist, so she was consequently pulled down with him. "Why go then?"

"Go?" she muttered through her confusion as she used her arms to space her chest from his.

"Yeah. Why go off to an imaginary world if it's no more interesting than me?" His smirk was wider than ever now.

Maka laughed. "You sound like Black Star."

Grinning, Soul leaned his head back to look up at the ceiling. "Sure, but I'd like to think I'm sexier than that kid. Besides..." his eyes peered back down at her, "you're deflecting the question."

Nervously, Maka looked around again, searching the walls for an answer. It was not so much that she was embarrassed of her answer, but that she did not know her answer. "Repeat the question, then."

"Why daydream when you can be with me?"

"I-I don't think that was the question," Maka replied, narrowing her eyes at her partner.

"No matter what you heard, that was the question. You're deflecting again."

Now, Maka truly was embarrassed of her answer. Biting fiercely down on her lip, she looked down at her hands as she thought of a way to answer him. "I guess, I like the adventure. Or...the freedom of the imagination in contrast to reality."

Soul's head lifted and a single brow shot up. "I'm not adventurous enough? I'm stifling?"

"Oh, no, that's not it," she said quickly.

"Then, what?"

"Not everything is about you, Soul!"

"Isn't it?"

Yes. Yes it was. "No...No it isn't."

Maka folded her arms and looked down with a defiant look about her. She did not want him to have his way. She wouldn't be the first to say it.

His eyes were piercing. "Maka."

That was all he had to say? He wasn't going to argue with her? Say something snide? Sarcastic? Arrogant? "_What?"_

"Go on an adventure with me."

Confused, Maka's eyes snapped back up to gaze at her partner. He was completely serious. What could he possibly mean by it? Never-the-less, she was completely sold. "To where?"

They were standing. Soul was the only thing standing between her and an open doorway. Such a bright light was emanating from behind him that she could hardly see his face. The clearest thing was his silhouette and the hand being offered to her.

"Everywhere. Anywhere."


	10. Chapter 10: Oh Sweet Gravity

**Sooo, I'm not going to proof read this. I just wrote it and here it is. Hope it's half-way decent! The mini-plot in this episode is a cheesy ministory I've had in my head for a while. You only get to see a small chunk of it, yet it made for my longest chapter. Hope you enjoy!  
**

* * *

Maka stared at the hand before her.

Magic. It had to be magic.

Or, magnetism. Pure magnetic magic working to draw her hand in. Very little thought crossed her mind as she accepted his offer. It was Soul, after all.

The one man she could trust with her very soul...her mind...her sanity.

Her heart.

"Where are we going?" She had to ask.

Soul squeezed her hand and grinned that infamous grin of his. "La-la land."

* * *

"I fear aught ill has occurred. Their delayed return is foreboding," rang a gruff voice. It echoed for a moment, but was soon swallowed by the sounds of nature.

The wind was blowing gently through the woodlands, stirring the treetops and carrying the sweet smell of oak wood and flowers. Birds chirped now and then, calling one another in search of a mate. Just enough sun was peeking through the canopy that a comfortable glow of light illuminated the forest floor. In the distance a doe could be seen leading its fawn to a watering hole. In no way did this place take on the appearance of danger. But, there was danger wasn't there?

It was _who_ she was that brought the danger. She was the princess. The sole heir to her mother's magic as a seer. It was a power she was to inherit soon, or so the prophets said. She was seventeen on the cusp of adulthood, and that was precisely when the seers gained their true power. The power to see at will, rather than at the will of the sight.

Given such a small troupe as company en route to the safety of her uncle's kingdom was not adequate given what followed. What was it exactly? Not even she could remember. She had never finished this book...

The lone soldier that waited with her turned in place to gaze at his charge. His armor clanked and scraped as he moved. "Worry not, Princess. I will take a look. If aught has happened, I will return immediately and see that you are taken far from any danger personally."

"Are you sure that is wise?" she muttered, breaking her silence as well as her inner peace. Something bad was going to happen, she could feel it. She knew something bad was coming, even without foresight.

"I will go without the horse. I will go quietly and retreat at the first sign of danger. Your safety is first priority, madam. I will not abandon you."

"I have no fear of that, Sir Jall," she began, planning protest, but he was gone before she could utter the words. _Clank, Clank, Clank..._ So much for quietly.

All that was left for her was to wait. A seer was of no use in battle without a vision to aid her. Likewise, she was just as useless as protecting herself when she could not see what might be on its way. She could only hope that nothing awful befell her men and that they returned safely. Hope and a couple of horses were all that she had protecting her now.

Then again, were she to be approached by bandits she had jewels wrapped about her neck and wrist that she could offer in trade for her life. But, how could they be trusted to uphold such a bargain? Bandits were, after all, _bandits_.

Nervously, the princess walked around her horse in a circle, eyeing the forest beyond for any sign of her soldiers. It had not taken very long at all for the clanking of Jall's armor to cease. Now, all seemed far too quiet. She was at the mercy of the wild all by herself. But, was she really? Despite her worries, something deep within her still remained calm. She did not feel alone. She could almost swear she felt another with her. It was no stranger, not even a friend. They were something even greater than a simple friend. Something that filled her with a sense of comfort that couldn't be beat. Her exterior may fear for her mortal life, but her soul was safe.

She waited for what seemed like hours. The sun was beginning to set on their day and no one had returned. It was time for her to face it. She could no longer wait idly while promising herself with false hope. If she wanted to make it to her uncle's kingdom, she would have to make it on her own.

Her mind made up, the girl moved back to the left side of the horse and readied herself to mount it. Her skirt was lifted and her foot hooked in the stirrup when suddenly an ear-piercing roar sounded through the trees. The sound struck the horses like a sharp slap to the rear. Without a moment's pause, they took off in a hurry, beating their hooves against the ground in terror as they made their escape. The princess was sent backwards into a hard collision with the ground as the horse jerked the saddle away from her foot. Gloomily, the girl sat up to watch her horse disappear into the darkness that had become the trees. Now how was she supposed to make it? Also, where and _what_ in the world was that?!

Nervously, she glanced around in hopes to catch some hint of what was in store. Her mind was telling her she knew all along what it was and when it would be here, she was simply ignoring it. She did not want it to be true.

Rumbling...

She saw nothing, but she could hear grunting and murmuring from all around her. She had been surrounded without ever noticing. Perhaps whatever they were had not seen her yet! There was still time to hide!

As quickly as she could manage, she pushed herself up from the ground and shot for the nearest and darkest patch of shade she could find. Unfortunately, before she could reach it, out stepped a large, gray, and thick-skinned creature that peered down at her with a pitch-black gaze. It was tall and wide... twice her size in height and could quite possibly fit three of her in its gigantic belly. With something that sounded like amusement, it grunted and mumbled something incoherent toward her. Of all the languages in the land she had studied, this was one she was never introduced to.

"I-I apologize, but I really should not stay. I have pressing matters to attend to. So, if you don't mind..."

Harshly, the creature laughed aloud, triggering hidden beasts within the forest to laugh along. The roar of their laughter was deafening. Nodding his head ferociously, the creature grunted out more disjointed speech.

"I-I really should—" In vain, she tried stepping away from the creature to walk in the direction her horses has fled, but she was interrupted by a giant hand wrapping around her side. This time, he mumbled, shook his head with a treacherous grin, and lifted her off the ground like a simple toy.

...

Before she knew it, she had been taken off to a large remote cave, tied up, gagged, and thrown in a corner for later. She could barely move. For large creatures with wide stubby fingers, they sure could tie a knot. Her legs were bound so that she could not stand without falling over and her hands were tied behind her back so that she could not sit comfortably either. Her nape was red from her jewels being ripped forcefully from her neck. Her whole body felt bruised from being squeezed too hard and handled so roughly. She really was like a toy to them. She was thankful, at least, for whatever it was that distracted them enough that every one of them left. As much good as it did, she was still stuck.

Was this where her men had disappeared to? She was in no position to look around. She was trapped on her side on the ground. The only choice available was to slink along the floor like a caterpillar on its side. They had left her lying just a little too close to their large bon fire in the middle of their cave. It was so unbearably smoky that she felt like she was going to suffocate. She had to get herself up so that she could get a good look around. Given her weak upper body strength, the only thing she could think to do was slink her way to the nearest wall and use it to support herself as she used her legs to push herself up.

It worked like a charm, but it didn't help as much she might have hoped. The smoke in the cave clouded her view of any potential exit. Bound the way she was, she could not afford to go the wrong direction. What choice did she have, though? Being swung around like a ragdoll kept her from being able to pay attention to where they were going when she was brought in. When the ogre-like creatures suddenly left, they seemed to leave in all directions... So, maybe there was an exit no matter which way she went? Though the shortest path out would be preferable, any exit was good enough at this point.

Left. She would go left.

Slowly but surely, she hopped her way past the fire and toward what she hoped was the best exit. Her feet being bound as they were did not allow her great balance, so she had to actively use the wall with her shoulder to keep herself vertical. Half-way through the choking smoke from the fire, she felt like her body would give out at any moment. She couldn't breathe. There was nowhere near enough oxygen to fuel her body. It didn't help that she could only breathe through her mouth.

"_This_ is the kind of book you like to read?"

That was the only warning she had before her body was scooped up off of the ground. She might have made a sound were it not for the fabric in her mouth and her lack of breath. As it was, she was taken helplessly by a stranger. Amidst the smoke, she couldn't see the face, but whomever it was that carried her was obviously human. That was welcome enough to comfort her, but the question scratched at her mind. Who was it?

Wait...

She knew who it was. It was the same soul that she could feel with her everywhere she went. Even when he was not physically around, he was with her.

As it was in this story, he was someone who had known her since childhood. His mother was a servant in the castle. Having nothing better to do with him, she brought him to work with her. Naturally, as any child would, he wandered just as he was instructed not to. Simple aimlessness led him to where she was playing. Procrastinating was more along the right lines. She had been assigned to write lines, but instead she was playing with a small carven doll on the floor. It was a gift from a servant that just so happened to be his mother. His father had carved it, so of course he recognized it on sight. Thinking that she stole it, he swiped it from her and took off for the kitchens where he had been told to wait. It was a terrible crime, she thought. So, she followed.

That was how she met him. At least, in this story.

In any story he had the same soul. He was, after all, _Soul._

The ogres were still well busy off in the distance making plenty of noise. Soul set her down just outside of the cave. Knowing she could not stand on her own in her present condition, he wasted no time before drawing a blade and cutting her feet free. Next, he freed her hands. Then, she was free to remove the gag herself, but feared removing her eyes from her savior. He was dressed in worn leather from head to toe. Leather boots, tied around his calves with leather rope. Tucked into his boots were leather trousers, also bound to his waist by a leather belt. The metal buckle just barely peaked through the leather vest that draped over that. Beneath his vest, though, was nothing but acres of...pure Soul. Despite his outdated clothing which was allotted by the story, he was still the same person beneath it all. The long and all-too-apparent scar across his chest made that clear.

"Princess Maaakaa," he cooed teasingly.

Heat rushed to Maka's cheeks as she looked up in a sudden _full_ realization of where she was. Whether she was in a dream-land or not, it was clear enough that it was the real Soul before her. There were hints – sure, plenty – that reality was a long stride away, but _he_ was not a figment of her imagination.

"Soul... How—"

"We're not out of this yet." That smirk... _Oh,_ that smirk. Soul held out his hand – _again?_ "If we head straight northwest, we should be able to squeeze right past them without getting noticed." _That_ was the book speaking. Or, Soul playing along.

An excited smile took over Maka's lips. An adventure, he had proposed. An adventure into her mind, he seems to have meant. An adventure into the part of her mind she might never have openly shared with him otherwise. _Her fantasies. _

Hurriedly, Soul lead her in and around trees. The sound of angered ogre-things was getting comfortably farther and farther away. Unfortunately, sounds in this instance were deceiving. There was a small troupe of them ahead. But, she wasn't supposed to know it. Only the hero of the night was supposed to notice, and he did. They weren't far off, but Soul had just enough time to Maka out of sight. Just as the story went, the only space there was for them to hide while the ogres passed was in a tight spot – literally between a rock and a hard place. It was in a small nook formed by a large boulder and a tall tree grown against the side of the rock that he stowed her and, well, himself. Given the small amount of space, he was just barely able to squeeze in so that his back wouldn't be seen protruding from the other side. No longer was the seemingly dangerous situation surrounding them on her mind. Instead, she was entirely pre-occupied with the sudden proximity of Soul's body to hers. But, surely it was just her imagination.

If she knew it was a dream – or whatever you call this – why was she not waking?

"Do you want to?" Soul's voice startled her. It was soft and muttered by her cheek so that she felt his breath on her cheek. _That_ felt too real.

"What?" she whispered back.

"This was the first thing on your mind, so you can't say you don't like it." He was teasing her. His words weren't the most torturous thing, either. What was worse was his hand snaking its way around her waist.

Wait a minute... If he had seen into her mind enough to find her memory of this book, what else could he have discovered?

_Oh no..._

Maka's face contorted with horror.

The entire time she had been reading it, she been imagining herself and Soul in the key roles. Three times in the story he saved her. After the escape scene, he escorted her to a cave hidden by a waterfall. It was there that he...Oh, no that was too embarrassing.

Soul chuckled. "Where'd you find a book like this?"

That didn't take much thought. "Well, _you_ gave it to me...for my birthday. I guess it's not such a surprise you had no idea what you were giving me. I finished reading it just before we..."

"Before we?"

Maka's brow furrowed as she lifted her gaze to him. "Before we left Death City for the mission..."

A proud grin spread across Soul's lips. "The mission to—"

"Yeah."

Maka's green eyes went steely and stern, Soul made the widest grin physically possible, and the world around them disintegrated in a heartbeat.

* * *

Both pairs of eyes, the red and the green, snapped wide open. It was disorienting how quickly they had broken from the sleep. Soul's head was spinning at a hundred miles per hour. Through the madness he was certain of at least two things. One, there was a mission to complete. Two, Maka was groaning in his ear.

Oh and three, he could feel her squirming beneath him. Her small warm body grinding against his thanks to the force known as gravity.

Oh, sweet gravity.


	11. Chapter 11: Steely Eyed

**I understand the last chapter was very confusing. I intended it to be as disorienting for the audience as it was for Maka, but now I feel the need to clarify. Soooo, this chapter is more of a recap from Soul's point of view. I hope it clears up any questions. Feel free to message me if you still have no idea what I'm failing to convey. ^-^**

* * *

The world was still spinning at a million miles per hour. As certain as Maka thought she was about what had just happened and what was ahead of her, the world was still spinning. She could not tell up from down, or left from west, or purple from turtles, or...or...what?

In vain, Maka struggled to move. If she could only get an idea of where she was. The only information her eyes gathered was a blinding sea of white. Was it possible she was still caught in a land beyond reality? Is that was it was? Did she actually travel somewhere or was it just a dream? It certainly felt like she had traveled from somewhere far away really fast. All the details seemed fuzzy except for one thing.

A ballsy witch had the nerve to try taking away her memories of Soul.

Oh, and one more thing.

She, Maka Albarn, was going to kick some fuckin' witch ass.

* * *

Witches were anything but a concern to Soul right now. No, not in the slightest. In fact, really it seemed like he had a witch to thank for his current situation. It wasn't half as bad as his partner would make it out to be. Oh, and he knew exactly how she was going to act. The entire ordeal had given him a whole new insight to Miss Albarn's mind. It was like for a moment...for that wonderful moment, he could sense souls as he previously imagined Maka could. It was more than just her soul, though. Soul was given the opportunity to see into his partner's _mind._

But, why and how? Let's start with the how. He felt like he knew the every detail. He could chant it like a sermon, as uncool as that would be.

Soul Evans and Maka Albarn arrived in town in the early evening. Only moments after leaving the small train station did they meet streets full of bustling villagers. Instead of hustling and bustling from the usual activities at such an hour, they were all busying themselves with scurrying away to the safety of their homes. Having nothing better to do until morning, given that no one was going to aid their investigation, the duo got a room at the first and only inn they could find. Just as soon as they reached their room for the night, Maka felt the presence of a witch.

Like always, she jumped on the opportunity. She clearly did not look forward to staying long in this small town. Soul, as much as he liked to argue with Maka just to push her buttons, could not refuse when she called him to action. She raced him across town only to meet a vast field of sunflowers instead of the witch that would make him a death scythe. There she heard what she thought was a person hiding within the field, but several wide sweeps of Soul's blade later found them only a cackling mirage of a witch. Having nothing else to go on for the night, Maka dejectedly agreed to head back in. The trip back was where it became apparent that their false encounter was not at harmless as it appeared. One way or another, Maka had been put under a spell which caused her to fall asleep standing up.

It must have been the pollen... It had blanketed the air and swirled around his partner, but since he was a scythe at the time he was unaffected.

Soul realized something was off about her, but he changed back just in time to catch her from hitting the ground. At this point, as he was carrying her, Maka was already drawn off into 'lala' land. It seemed that the whole time Maka was actually aware of what was happening, but she was in complete denial. She knew and yet was sure of herself to be simply dreaming. Really, she was being lead from one memory to the next, while bits and pieces were skewed and deleted. She was smart, though. She couldn't be fooled into believing Soul wasn't there for her. He was unaware of it at the time, but as he held his partner in his arms, she was trying desperately to hold onto him.

All the while she was fighting with maintaining her memories with the perfection she believed they deserved, Soul was trying to figure out what was wrong. With all his scampering around, running around town looking for a mirror, and contemplating breaking down doors to demand attention for his partner, it seemed that turning to Maka herself for answers was the best route. After coming back to the room he had left her in unsuccessful, Soul was given a clue from her own lips. "She's trying to take you from me, Soul..." she said amidst her slumber. That was a real attention-grabber. 'Cuz really. Who the hell could possibly pry Soul Evans from Maka Albarn? His soul had been sold to her for years, as blind as she was to the fact. As tempting as voluptuous bosoms and wide eye-catching hips were, there was nothing more pleasing than going home with her at the end of the day, or waking up to the smell of her cooking.

Soul felt it necessary to ensure his partner that "No one could take me from you, Maka." Having no idea at the time that she could actually hear him, he embraced her. He squeezed her tight against his chest never wanting to let go. In doing so, he had pressed not only his body but his soul so close to her own that he was allowed free passage. She had once passed through into his soul, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that it also worked the other way around.

When he first arrived in her domain, he was not yet sure about what had happened or what was currently happening. He knew of very simple things at this point. He was swimming through darkness in search for the light that was Maka's soul. Though he saw absolutely nothing, he knew what direction to swim in. He could sense no other souls, but he knew hers. He was drawn to her like the strongest of magnets. Nothing could stop him from finding her – and so he did. The only thing that stood between them was her own construct. She had locked herself in a corner of her mind, thinking it would be the safest place to hold on to her sanity. What she didn't know was that she had locked herself away from _him_ and the witch still had a hold of her.

There, Soul was approached by an extension of the witch posing as Maka. She had all the beauties that his real Maka physically possessed, but she did not have her soul. It was infuriating how fake she was. A phony. Counterfeit. He could settle for nothing less than the _real_ Maka. Besides, the imp had tried this before on Maka. She didn't fall for it, and neither was he.

It took plenty of pleading, but eventually Maka opened the door to him. She opened the door into her mind. The witch tried desperately to stop him, to take his place in Maka's mind, but she failed. All that she had over him was the enchanting sleep that still kept his partner from waking and now him as well. Unfortunately, only Maka could break the spell. All it took was the willpower. (How he knew this, he wasn't quite sure)

Soul had to find a way to wake her... To let her figure it out on her own, but be there for her every step of the way. So, he met her in a memory. It was recent – having occurred shortly before they left. The only difference in it was that he was not home. He interrupted her memory of reading a book while he had been out. It was comical, really, how much she liked losing herself to fairy tales. One could argue that she enjoyed prancing off to 'la-la' land more than she liked behind his partner, but now he knew otherwise. Oh, that beautiful mind of hers. She was thinking of him even when she didn't realize it. Her memory of the book she was reading was proof enough to him. I mean, _really_. She was imagining herself as the dainty and beautiful main character and picturing him as the strong hero she falls in love with? It was cheesy, but even Soul Eater Evans had to admit it was flattering.

With such knowledge...such insight, it was hard to resist her. It was difficult to remind himself that there was reason to pause for the sake of her comfort, let alone the fact that he was only in a dream world. One could say that it was the perfect opportunity to have her the way he wanted without consequence, but to Soul it was not enough. He wanted her for his own not only in unconscious thought.

Altering her memory into a whole new one, Soul chatted with Maka. He questioned her about her daydreaming of him in the only way he knew how – teasing. She got so flustered – so fucking cute that it seemed more like he was teasing himself than her. She did not want to admit that he knew exactly what she had been daydreaming about. So, he decided to take an adventure into her 'lala' land she had created with her image of him.

He simply watched for a while, given that his character was not important until later, as Maka interacted with the imaginary world around her as if she truly was this other personality. The funniest part about it was that she knew exactly what was going on, but still acted so surprised. They were, after all, acting out a scene from the book she had finished reading just before they left on their current mission. It was the book that Soul had given her. He had no idea what it was about, or that she would like it this much. He just thought it had a title she would like.

When it was finally his time to enter the stage, Soul could not help but make fun of his partner again for her book choice, even if he had chosen it for her. The storyline around them continued, but Maka's belief in it halted. She recognized him. _YES_. He knew she would see the absurdity. He knew she could spot what didn't fit. Even if she had daydreamt of him in this role before, this time it was not a figment of her imagination that brought him before her.

Maka was realizing what was going on, she just needed one more little shove. "Where'd you find a book like this?" he asked, prompting her to consider the situation in the direction he wanted.

It was so pleasing when it finally hit her... Oh, to see that steely determined glare of hers. It was sexy and frightening all at once.

_That_ was his partner.

Not some dainty princess.

That steely eyed bitch was his partner.

Maka fucking Albarn.

The girl who was going to kick some fuckin' witch ass.


	12. Chapter 12: One Way or Another

**I apologize it took so long and that after all that wait this isn't longer! I felt the need to post, and this is what I made. I should start writing more ofter after another two weeks.**

* * *

Soul's crimson eyes rolled open at the sound of yet another groan set directly in his ear. He had been so comfortably off in his own 'lala' land that he had no idea exactly how long he had remained in this position – essentially holding his partner captive. Staring into the ashy blond abyss for a single blissful moment longer, Soul groaned himself as he moved to push his body upward. It was dizzying how quickly his head spun as if he had hopped up into a stand after hanging upside down, blood rushing away from his head uncomfortably fast.

Next to him, his partner paused her squirming to grab her head and attempt pushing herself up into a sit as well. A simple sideways glance told him that she was having trouble finding the strength in her arms – though he couldn't perceive how anyone could be so weak that they couldn't lift Maka Albarn. Even a child could lift her featherweight body. It was wonder how she ever lifted a scythe like him. He was not about to admit that, though. No, he liked teasing her too much. She would never admit it, but deep down she liked it too. Granted, some of his mocking did need to be kicked back a notch. She took some things too seriously.

Absently, Soul tugged Maka's struggling arm toward him gently in order to help her sit up. She did not accept the help graciously, though. As soon as he had her sitting up straight, she shook off his hand and grunted in protest.

"I'm fine," she complained breathlessly. On one hand she did not seem very 'fine', but on the other... She did seem to be recovering rather quickly – possibly wholly due to her determination. He could see it now. The moment she was able to stand without help she would be demanding to make a move. As much as that girl liked to just sit around and read for countless hours out of a day, take a book out of the equation and she was restless.

Just as he predicted, Maka's feet touched the floor, her legs straightened, she swayed for a short moment, and then her gaze turned to the door.

"Let's go." That was all that she said and all that was necessary to be said.

Typical Maka. Of course she would not take a moment to discuss what just happened. Understanding all the details did not seem relevant unless she was taking an exam. Outside of school and in, though, all that mattered was winning, and now she felt like she had taken a hard blow. Her offender was ahead of her, but it was _not_ going to stay that way.

Naturally, Soul smoothly slid off of the bed and moved to his partner's side. As much as he wanted to advise her to slow down and examine the situation before diving in, he knew all too well that it was not yet the moment. She was more likely to magically procure a book out of thin air to create a new dent in his skull than to listen to him now.

Without a word, Maka held out her hand expectantly. Compliantly, Soul shoved one hand into his front pocket then gave his other over to her control. In the instant he felt her small hand squeeze at his own, he transformed – becoming the extension of her fury.

* * *

Maka was angry.

No, infuriated was more appropriate.

She was still unsure about the full scale of what had just occurred and honestly she did not even want to think about it. She wanted the poisonous thoughts gone. She wanted that poisonous witch gone. To think that the snake of a witch slithered into her mind and tried eating up her precious memories. Then, when that was failing, she tried taking Maka's sanity instead. Soul came to the rescue... He invaded her mind with much more selfless intentions. He warded off the witch by helping her retreat to her fantasies with... Wait...

No, no, no, no. Don't think about it! There is no way he could have possibly seen all of it. Witnessing her memory of that single book was nothing. Their friendship could not possibly be compromised.

Really, Soul felt even more comfortable than ever between her fingers. In fact, it truly felt as if he was reaching out and holding onto her rather than the other way around. He felt so light. She felt like they could take anything on at this point, despite her fury.

Maka straightened her expressions and looked around as she walked. She was desperately searching for some sign of an abnormal soul. All that she felt through half the town were those of the human townsfolk nestled away in the corners of their houses. As she stomped right past the inhabited portion of the town into the vacant, Maka's expressions grew livid once again.

"She has to be out here," an all-too-welcome voice echoed in her ear. "She must be the reason the villagers are avoiding this side of town."

Her grip tightened around the scythe's shaft. "Yeah..."

"Maybe...she lives over here. We can start by—"

"Checking houses," she finished, anxious for him to stop talking. It was impossible to maintain her furious focus when his very voice made her skin tingle. It felt like invisible fingers tickling their way gently up her arms and the back of her neck. Why did everything about him have to be so god damned beautiful? _Please_ let him fall back into a compliant silence like before. _Please_.

As if an answer to her prayers, Soul waited patiently and soundlessly as Maka began touring from one window to the next. It was all so eerily quiet. Unnaturally calm. Ordinarily a silence such as this, where not even birds or locusts were audible, would seem comfortable, but not this. This was disturbing – it was an eerie sensation creeping up her spine one vertebra at a time. Soul's silence enabled the invisible hands that had been tickling her flesh affectionately to switch to tickling her spine creepily and threatening to yank out her twisted stomach at any moment.

Even still... as creepy as it was, nothing was happening. Her stomach remained intact and the witch was nowhere to be seen. The more time that passed, the more Maka was becoming irritated.

Well, more irritated than before...

"Aaagh," she finally growled, after a full hour of searching and building up her anger. "What the HELL?!" Her shout echoed loudly through the emptiness until it was finally swallowed up.

"Maka, I—"

"WHAT, Soul? Do you have any new bright ideas? Your last one got us SO far..." The potentially hurtful words echoed, amplifying her irrational attack at her partner.

In that moment, Soul fell silent once more. Disregard any mention of discomfort derived from silence mentioned before, for this was far worse. Maka's heart sank a little as she thought over what she said. She was angry, yes, but she was not upset with him... Thankfully, she did not feel the scythe's weight gain underneath her fingertips. As horrible as she was at reading and matching his soul-wavelength, he seemed to be an expert at hers by now. Still, it made her feel none the better – especially once she noticed her weapon beginning to transform. It felt almost as if he was denying her the ability to wield him.

Caving due to guilt, Maka's grip loosened to free the scythe that was becoming a man and averted her eyes. It was both annoying and heart-lifting when the newly formed Soul reached out and took her hand in his. Why did he have to be so damned understanding?

Verdant green eyes looked up into his own blood-red depths as he squeezed her hand for attention. "We'll find her. One way or another."

Just like that, he began walking down the street, fingers intertwined with hers, peeking through windows and around corners.

* * *

Soul could only stay silent for so long. Even when Maka was silent, he could sense that she was just overflowing with the desire to scream. It was simple. She wanted not only to finally attain the final soul necessary to make him a Death Scythe, but also to punish the witch for getting in her head. She was predictable like that. What Soul might not have predicted before tonight was that what was making her the angriest was the simple fact that the witch tried toying with her memories of him. Maka, sweet Maka, was so desperate to hold on to those memories, as if someday soon that would be all she had of him. Why she thought that, Soul didn't understand. Having been distracted by the overwhelming sensation of her desire for him kept him from exploring this other strange emotion of hers he did not comprehend. So, he knew _virtually_ everything about how her mind worked.

So, after her outburst, Soul thought it would be best to walk with her, despite the dangers of the weapon not being at the ready. After he transformed, his partner looked away from him, trying desperately to hide the hurt she had dealt upon herself from her expressions. If he could have gotten away with kissing her instead of simply holding her hand, he would have. Unfortunately, Soul was all too aware of Maka's aversion to relationships, despite her feelings for him and especially because of their current relationship. She would sooner suffer alone than cast awkwardness upon their friendship by being denied or even worse...possibly (or Maka's words 'inevitably') betrayed. He wanted her to have faith in him, but jumping right into it was not the way for her Highness Grumpypants.

It was only after they passed a couple of houses that Maka finally seemed to warm up to the idea that Soul was now leading her through the town rather than the other way around. She began walking at his side rather than a step behind and actively looking around once more.

Soul liked to think that it was the graces if his cool presence that kept Maka calm for the following twenty minutes, but that seemed to be her limit. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks and retracted her hand from his to fold her arms across her chest.

"This is getting us nowhere," she complained irritably.

Sighing heavily, Soul turned to face his partner in order to attempt calming her down.

Only...she wasn't there.


	13. Chapter 13: Bring It

At first it was strange. It was not like he had never held her hand before. There had been several occasions where it was necessary to give her the courage to carry on, though she would never admit that directly. Soul seemed to know it too. He knew that she needed him, the smug bastard. He must have gotten a kick out of how pathetic she was. She could not even track down a simple witch. Maka Albarn, the scythe-wielder who could sense souls, was now wandering blind in the dark without any clue of which way to turn. It was comforting, though. That was for certain. She could not deny that his fingers tangled with her own had an otherworldly appeal. Despite her irritation and guilt, it was all that she could focus on for several minutes as she awkwardly left her hand limp and reluctantly in his control.

It was only after some time that she finally forced her mind away from the warmth of Soul's hand and the heavy weight pulling down on her stomach and toward something more productive. She tried to focus outward as if feeling the air for that fluffy sensation of souls nearby. For what felt like forever all that she could find was Soul, next to her, and the clumped souls of villagers on the opposite side of town. There was presumably no one else there. It...was...infuriating.

Maka struggled to remain calm. What was she supposed to do now? What was she missing? Why in the hell was it so difficult to clear her mind to think it through?

She had originally sensed the witch on this side of town. Plus, it was obvious that the villagers were avoiding it. Either the people here all died or everyone moved away. Hopefully it was the latter. Reason stands to say that something about the area was warding them away. But, why?

The power of logic was not on her side tonight. At the moment she felt like she wanted more than anything else to just run and hide from the rest of the world until the end of time – never to show her face again.

Maka stiffened in response to the depressing thoughts invading her mind. No. She had to stand strong. That was her way!

Stopping dead in her tracks, Maka pulled her hand away from her partner's and folded her arms defiantly. "This is getting us nowhere," she admitted in a tone she hoped sounded strong rather than irritated. Her partner sighed in response, causing Maka to close her eyes in response. She was not ready to see his face just yet. She needed to think about the mission.

"Maka...Maka look at me," his voice cooed sweetly. It sounded so close... as if it was coming from just next to her ear.

Slowly, she obeyed. Her eyes rolled open to find her partner standing directly in front of her. His face was so close to her own it made her stomach ache. Her body remained stiff, not really knowing what to do with itself.

Carefully, his hand lifted to her cheek to brush away a loose strand of hair. She shivered from the cold of his fingers, feeling as if a simple breeze had brushed her skin rather than another human. Maka was too taken by his proximity to notice anything odd about it. His enchanting red stare had taken her. His lips curled upward, more so on one side than the other, and he drew just that little bit closer. She couldn't take it. He was too close for her to focus on his face anymore and she just knew his lips were dangerously close to her own. "I have an idea," he whispered against her lips, feathering the sensitive skin with cool air.

Maka opened her eyes to see Soul wandering off around a corner. Thank...God. She might have died of suffocation had he not pulled away in time. Taking in a deep breath, and shrugging off the sensation of warm air brushing her left shoulder, Maka followed after her partner. "Wait up! Where are you going!?" she shouted from behind him.

Every corner she turned, she saw him turning down another.

* * *

"Shit...Maka?" Soul spun in a circle with wide searching eyes, but there was no Maka to be found. "MAKA!" he shouted, only to stand alone listening to his own reverberating echo. "MAAAKAA. You can't just run off like that! Do you expect me to follow?!"

Several moments passed as he stood there in silence and still... Nothing.

"Maka!" he shouted again, lower this time, as he started walking in the direction they had come from. He glanced around corners in search for his partner. A couple of passed houses later and Soul came to a halt, scratching the back of his head like a dumbfounded idiot.

Shit. Fuck. Damnit. Geeeeeeez.

He was not equipped for this. There weren't witnesses to interrogate to figure out what direction she had gone. There were no footprints that he could see aside from the tracks they had made getting to that spot to begin with. He could not sense souls as she could. He had no idea where she was. All he had in his arsenal was faith in her. Maka was not defenseless, as much as he enjoyed being there to protect her. That feisty little monster-hiding-in-a-woman's-skin had one hell of a kick and a wicked punch. Oh, and one cannot forget her mouth. If nothing else, she could talk aggressors to death. Another thing Soul had faith in was his desire to be by her side. One way or another he would find her. He would fill that space in her life she liked to deny she wanted filled at all.

So, all he had to do was be cool. He would simply calm down and find her. One way or a fucking 'nother her would.

* * *

"Soul!" she shouted in vain. "Soul stop!" Maka had been running several blocks, faithfully following her partner, before finally realizing that they were headed nowhere in particular. He was just deflecting. He was forcing her to run out her bad thoughts. "SOUL! If you don't stop RIGHT NOW I'll!... I'll," Maka panted, trying to finish her thought but finding it difficult to shout and run simultaneously.

Much to her surprise, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Soul was standing still with an icy stare back at her. How fiery red eyes could seem so cold, she could never know. She came to a stop just two yards away, not daring to move any closer.

"You'll what, Maka?" Even his voice sounded cold. After so much calm and care, where did this sudden sensation of _hate_ come from? Maka remained silent, unsure of how she even wanted to finish the sentence originally. "You'll find a new weapon? Force me to find a new meister?" Maka opened her mouth to speak, but still did not have words. It was too confusing. "Big deal," he spat.

Big deal?

"It would be a relief, really. I could find someone new in no time. Can't say the same about you, though. With that attitude no one would want you. It's no wonder you were so willing to become my partner despite all the reasons you should have found me repelling."

Her throat felt dry in an instant. Her heart felt like it was stopping for good. "W-why would I find you repelling?" she quickly questioned in return.

"We are _nothing_ alike, Maka. Get real. You could never live up to my cool."

The girl's brow furrowed. Her arms felt heavy, like dead weight, pulling down at her shoulders. Clearing her throat and attempting to blink away everything she was hearing. "So, what was your idea, huh? How are we going to find the witch?"

Soul snorted. "Tch. _We_ aren't. You never could. Why do you think I was running, huh? I was trying to get away from you, idiot! The only thing that was getting me through it all was thinking that once I was a death scythe I'd be free of you, but I finally realized that the likes of _you_ could never make me a death scythe. I'd be better off without you! Any other woman would be more worth my time."

That was it. She wouldn't listen to another word. Her brain snapped as she whipped to the side, breaking a small crate into pieces with one swift kick, kicked a board into the air with her toes, grabbed a nail-free end and threw it with all her might toward him. "YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT! YOU'RE ALL THE SAME!" Board after board flew through the air, all missing him by inches as he dodged them one by one up until she was all out of shards of crate to chunk at him. She was left huffing angrily, staring daggers at him.

"See?" He said cooly, as if nothing surprising or tasking had passed. "No one would be surprised that I am leaving a freak like you." Flashing a peace sign at her, he turned, stuffed his hands in his pockets and disappeared around a corner.

Maka screamed violently in frustration and dropped to the ground heavily at the expense of her knees. The battle against the wall of tears that were fighting so desperately to break her was a laborious one. It took several long moments for her to manage taking in a harsh breath. Her face felt like it was on fire and no amount of tears that were now running down her cheeks could quell it. Even her tears were hot. They burned every inch of skin they touch.

"Oi!" A grumbling voice called out to her. It was a familiar word, if you could call it that, but spoken in a horribly construed voice that did not suit the one that usually uttered it.

* * *

This was going too far. Soul had been wandering for far too long without any sign of his partner or anyone else for that matter. There was something very wrong about this. Maka was only quiet when she did not want to be found. There was no way she intentionally wandered off without him in order to lose him. She could not have been so upset to be _that_ irrational. There had to be something he could do. Aagh, but he was so useless without her. He was so far out of his element, but there was no chance he was about to let the black blood take him just to find her. What if he did and he failed to find her in time? He might not return from the insanity that would overtake him. He needed her...

A harsh scream that morphed into a cackle shattered Soul's thoughts and snapped him back into reality. It was the first sound he had heard since Maka disappeared. His heart jumped. Hurriedly, Soul turned the corner just to come to a quick stop. His eyes fell upon a very Blair-esque form knelt down on the grown. The woman's hands held firmly onto her knees as she bent over laughing, tears running down her cheeks. She wore a pointy hat twisted at the top and ridiculously flashy pink garb – which, by the way, covered very little. It was like a copy of Blair in different colors. The most ridiculous thing...Which made him wonder... Was this just another animal with magic posing as a human witch? Couldn't be... The magic used on Maka before was too powerful to be from another cat like Blair.

Soul shoved a hand in his pocket and glared at the would-be-witch. "Oi!" he called directly.

The woman paused her laughing to look up at him. Her lips were twisted into a crazed grin while her green eyes stared through him. After a moment of staring at him, she brushed away the tears of laughter from her cheeks and opened her mouth to speak. "You're hilarious, you know that?" Her voice was chillingly smooth. Soul cocked a brow questioningly but otherwise remained silent. "All this time you've been runnin' 'round like infants. You've no idea where you're goin' or what to do with yourself. You just crawl aroun' without aim 'cause it's the only thing you know how to do. It's boring, really."

"It's about to get worse," Soul snarled as he stretched out an arm to reveal his scythe blade. "How would you like eating dirt for the remaining thirty seconds of your life?"

"Oh, and you're the one to feed it to me, are you?" Slowly, the woman wiggled to her feet, never moving her gaze from him. "Bring it, kid."

Soul flashed a smirk before his feet kicked into gear.

* * *

Bewildered, Maka looked up to see what it was that had called out to her only to find a demon staring back at her. Its blood red eyes burned with a fury at her as it drooled and clicked its fingers together. Instead of fingers, it had ten long blades as appendages. Its entire body was blackened, looking as if it had been charred. A long forked tongue hung down far past wickedly sharp teeth.

Wiping her cheeks of her tears was all that she could think to do at first. Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she dared to speak out. "What do you want?" she spat coldly. "Are you just going to stand there and drool at me all night or are you going to do something? I don't have all night to wait for you to decide what to do with yourself. Just give me the reason to rip your throat out."

The beast snarled, "I could do worse." Stretching its arm, the beast extended the blades at the end of its hand and continued, "It would be my pleasure to rid you of this tiresome life."

"You think I'll let you get close enough?!" she barked and wiggled to her feet uneasily. "Bring it, demon."


	14. Chapter 14: Impending Resonance

So it was begun. Maka held steady as the demon charged toward her with its oversized claws in tow and at the ready. Without Soul, she was not 100% certain how exactly she was going to slay the demon, but she was not a girl without resources. As he got closer, Maka's eyes narrowed and a ferocious grin overtook her lips. Her gaze shifted the instant the demon's foot planted before her so that he could swing with all his force at her. In that moment, Maka stepped one foot to the side to bring herself next to the demon. As he foolishly swung at the air where he expected her to still be standing, she swung her other foot out. Due to the demon's forward momentum in combination with the force of her leg colliding with his shins, he went flying forward into the dirt. A dramatic puff of dust followed his landing.

Maka straightened her back triumphantly. "You're going to have to try harder than that! You're loose footing will never win this fight!" She would soon learn how foolish it was to taunt the armed while unarmed herself.

The demon pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and looked over at her with the most devilish glare she could possibly imagine. His red eyes burned with a fury like no other. Now fully on his feet, he grinned again – brandishing those razor sharp teeth. "You will regret that," was all he offered her before he lunged again. Maka was at the ready, or so she assumed. Her footing was firm and she was fully prepared to dodge if it were not for the fact that _he_ was too. Maka whipped to the side only to be yanked back by a hand firmly wrapped around her wrist. He pulled her with so much force that she flew backwards and slid across the ground uncomfortably. Snickering, he stepped toward her. "What was that you were saying?" he sneered, raising his hand again.

Maka had to scramble backwards frantically to avoid the slash of the demon's claws, which strangely left only a single wide stroke in the dirt, but she had not the time to consider that detail. She needed a weapon and she needed one fast. At the moment, all that she could manage was the back up just beyond the path of the demon's swings. She was just barely making it far enough each time, and every time it seemed like she got closer to losing her legs.

No. She could not go out this way. Alone...

Determined, Maka made a quick roll to the left and scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could before finally taking off down an alley way. She needed to find a weapon...

But, no weapon could replace Soul.

For several minutes Maka ran with the purpose of finding something other than her own speed and balance to use against the demon. He was gaining on her, at least in her point of view. She had to do something... So, Maka turned a corner to head in a new direction while she focused. She would have to use her soul perception against him. She would read his energy and gain an advantage. Why she had not thought of utilizing that ability before she could not answer.

Her mind now focused, her body slowed dumbly as she glanced back over her shoulder at her pursuer just as she turned another corner. There was something odd about his soul, but she was not paying attention to him long before her attention was taken very abruptly by another sensation. Maka's feet halted and she spun to look up at the sky. She was right!

There she was: a witch hovering above the town while an amused yet cold stare down at her. Finding the witch did not solve her demon problem, though. Maka turned toward where the other soul had wandered. He seemed to have ducked down a different road than she and was wrapping around to cut her off. Only... only it was not a demon's soul she was detecting there at all.

With realization widening her eyes, Maka started running again to catch up to the soul that was about to turn onto her street a block ahead of her.

It was Soul. He came back to help her!

* * *

She was toying with him. That damned witch was just barely avoiding his attacks and laughing at him the entire time. She even giggled like a child when she ran away from him. The act of running seemed cowardly in itself, but her attitude made it taunting. She wanted him to follow as if she was leading him straight into a trap, but Soul willingly ignored that detail. He badly wanted to see his blade painted red with her blood – the blood of a cold-hearted witch.

Oddly, she kept looking side to side as she ran, as if she was searching for something, but what could that be? Perhaps there was a trap set somewhere in her path that she wished to avoid and he would fall right into? No. That was too simple. A simple truth at that moment, though, was he was not moving fast enough to catch her. Besides, even if he did speed up she would just find a way to avoid him or trip him again. He would not allow her to have the upper hand. He was going to avenge his partner. And then...hopefully find her.

The witch made a second turn down an alternate street, though slower than before. That was all he needed to catch up, but Soul took it a step further. He turned down an alley way before the street and put all his strength into quickening his pace. He was going to wrap around and cut her off – hopefully catching her by surprise and dealing the final blow. Only, when he turned the corner she was much farther away than he expected her to be despite the pace at which she was running toward him.

"Soul!" the witch cried, with a tone of desperation that alarmed him, but he did not let it distract him. He lunged forward with his blade out. Strangely, the witch reached out to him. What she hoped to gain from that, he had no idea, but it gave him the opportunity to grab her by the wrist and pull her in a hard twist around so that her body spun to face the other direction. Soul firmly held the blade threateningly at the woman's throat. Now he had the upper hand. She was trapped. If so much as flinched, his blade would sink in without hesitation.

Only, he did hesitate, but not because he felt pity for the witch, but because something was too strange about the way she was whimpering.

"Soul...Soul, how could you?" she whimpered quietly. "Y-you're hurting me..."

Soul's brow furrowed with such confusion. She was acting as if he had betrayed her. He hesitated a few moments longer while he brain went into overdrive. No, she was just messing with him. Surely she was just toying with him. She seemed to like doing that.

Then, he breathed. Soul, having been facing the back of the woman's head, had a face-full of a flowery scent he knew all too well. He had the pleasure of smelling it for a sizeable portion of the night so far. It was the very same scent Maka's hair had. Could the witch fake smells too? Perhaps he had just been thinking about it and she was peeking into his mind.

* * *

As he turned the corner Maka saw him. It was Soul that emerged. It was Soul that came toward her. She knew his soul like no other, there was no mistaking that. Instinctively, Maka had reached out to him, hoping his would transform and be her weapon once more, but she had no such luck. He used her trust against her and now had her life completely at his disposal. Despite her pleas, his grip did not seem to be waning.

It was torture on her heart. It was bad enough he had denounced her as a partner, but for him to attack her? _That_ was out of character. That was the biggest slap in the face. As much as the tears fought to flow free, she refused to let them pass. Maka Albarn was going to die with pride.

"Y-you promised, Soul," she choked out as he paused behind her. "We both promised. I swore I'd make you a death scythe and I failed." Maka struggled to remain still as the blade at her throat threatened to cut her if she squirmed too much. "I'm sorry, Soul," she whispered painfully.

The moment she felt him shift his weight behind her, Maka squeezed her eyes tightly and held her breath. She expected the worst only to feel the blade retreat and an arm snake around her stomach. Confused, Maka's eyes blinked open awkwardly as Soul buried his face in the side of her neck. She gasped as he squeezed her midsection tightly.

"Don't tease me with her image," he groaned against her neck. The warmth of his breath sent chills down her spine. "Totally uncool."

"S-soul I'm no—"

"Don't," he snapped, squeezing her just a little tighter. "There's no way I've been attacking my Maka this whole time. I couldn't..."

If it weren't for how he had spoken to her earlier, Maka's entire body might be blushing, but for now it was kept to her cheeks. The way he was holding her, despite being restrictive, was too intimate. It was hard to keep her mind on the task at hand. "S-soul, the witch."

* * *

It was too much. It was far too difficult to accept that this whole time he had been attacking his partner. Even still, it was hard to ignore how obvious it was that it was really her. The guilt panged his chest like a knife in the heart – one he sunk himself. Thank any deity that would listen he had not succeeded in slicing her into bits like he had imagined doing to the witch, but the fact that he had tried felt bad enough. Was there even a way to fix this? He was not sure he could face her – which explained why, despite her mentioning the witch was still a threat, he was still holding her tightly with her back to him. Her voice sounded so pained. He had hurt her as he promised he never would.

"Soul..." Maka tested, obviously trying to be patient with him, which he severely appreciated. Soul, unfortunately remained silent, which apparently queued her to continue. "I-I know you might not want to be my partner anymore, but—"

Soul flinched. Not be her partner? "What are you talking about?" he snapped, pulling his head back from her shoulder and finally loosening his grip. "You know, for a bookworm you can really be dumb sometimes."

Even though he had released her, having completely withdrawn his arms from around her, she did not move at first. It took a moment, but sure enough she whipped around with her hands balled up. "I'm dumb!? What about you, running off like that? You're one soul away from being a death scythe and you abandon me!?" Her voice was shrill from obvious exhaustion.

"What?" Soul gaped. "Abandon you? I've been _looking_ for you! I thought _you _ran off, or worse you were taken by—"

"The only running I've been doing was following you like an idiot! I should have known you—"

"Wait," Soul snapped, holding his hand up to silence her. "Don't you realize what happened here?" Maka opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly silenced by her thoughts. The way she scrunched her nose in frustration told him that she really didn't. "She has been messing with us ever since we got here. She separated us somehow... For me, you just disappeared out of thin air! I guess you were seeing me, but it wasn't real, Maka. I'm not your enemy, so stop shouting at me!"

Maka fumed as she glared at him, but clearly she must have seen the reason in his speech, because she did not argue with him. After a rough moment of silent glaring, she held her hand out toward him. "Then help me destroy her."

Though he recognized that her anger toward him was not yet dissolved, he was glad that they were getting on the right track again. Grinning devilishly, he accepted her hand, but did not transform before planting a quick kiss on her cheek.

* * *

Maka's cheeks rushed with warmth all over again. Soul felt warm in her hands, but it was not the kind of warmth that led to burning and an incapability to carry him. It tingled on her fingertips as she turned to face the witch that had been waiting patiently in the sky. She would soon learn to regret taking Maka Albarn and Soul _Eater_ Evans lightly.

"Witch hunter?" she suggested in a low voice.

"Let's do it."

The witch cackled haughtily in response, interrupting their impending resonance. "Silly children," she squeaked between breaths. "You think finding one another was the only obstacle keeping you from me?" Letting out another harsh cackle, she pointed down behind them. Maka turned, and sure enough there stood a giant hulking beast just down the street they currently inhabited. As it took a step toward them it looked like the houses surrounding it were on the verge of collapsing.

"Great," Maka muttered.


	15. Chapter 15: Dissolving

I know this took a very long time, and I hope it isn't disappointing. It was difficult for me to squeeze out this chapter. It looks disappointingly small on this site than it did in Word. _ I appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you for all of your support thus far.

* * *

The beast was difficult to describe. It was a thing of nightmares. It's creepy exoskeleton was black as the dead of a moonless night, causing it to appear as one with the night itself. Countless crustacean-like legs skittering around its body creepily. Additionally it had two limbs that appeared to serve as arms. One was a giant claw and the other a hand of tendril-like fingers. It was intimidating, certainly, but nothing was creepier than the sharp-toothed evil grin it bore as it stared down at them with wide spiraled black and white eyes.

Soul and Maka were perfectly in synch. It was a phenomenon to write home about for sure. The scythe technician darted from side to side swinging a blade ten times her tiny size around as if it were an extension of her very arm. The flame of determination burned in Maka's eyes and Soul was there with her. The excitement was like an electricity burning through her veins. It kept her moving without pause. All the while using Soul's Witch Hunter form. The monster skillfully skittered away from her every blow, but she was getting closer. With every destructive swing Maka and Soul were getting closer to destroying the beast.

Unfortunately for the innocent town, they were leaving a wake of devastation behind them. Houses were being flattened in the blink of an eye and nothing could stop it save for the ultimate downfall of their target. Thankfully this quarter of the town had already been emptied. It was a pity, though, that those that fled from them originally would have nothing to return to, but this had gone beyond saving innocent people or completing a mission.

It became a personal vendetta.

As volatile as Soul Evans and Maka Albarn might seem as a pair, they were more rock solid than anyone could imagine. No one could toy with Maka and live to tell the tale, and that ferocity was what attracted Soul to her. The witch's games on her mind had only strengthened their resolve.

Maka hardly broke a sweat, Soul was just as determined as she, their connection was more pure than ever before, but something was off. Both of them felt it. As large as the monster was and how easily it might have overwhelmed them, all it was doing was avoiding them. What few offensive moves it had made were slow and placed so that Maka could easily get away. They had heard of something like this before from Kidd in his recollection of the battle to stop the revival of Asura. All of his attacks dodged when the witch he battled had little reason to avoid a blow ordinarily. This instance was different, sure. They had no evidence that the beast could heal, but it was expertly avoiding all of their attacks without fighting back. Instead, it was bating them around town. Despite its large size, none of the buildings it crawled over seemed to be affected by its large size. The witch cackled amusedly throughout the entire affair.

It required no words. They both recognized the issue and were working on a solution. All this time the witch had remained in the same place, enjoying the show. If they were right and they gave up chasing the phony beast she would immediately know that the ruse was up. They would have to change their focus without making it apparent. It called for some careful maneuvering.

For several minutes Maka continued the chase. Sacrificing distance between them, Maka made the effort to turn the beast by veering off to one side and around until the beast was headed back into the town. His legs danced around the debris of houses deftly. Just as she was beginning to run out of breath she got within range of where the witch was hovering. Still the witch cackled in amusement, seemingly unaware of the danger of remaining so close to Maka and her scythe. The beast turned, attempting to drag them away again but leaving itself in vulnerably close range. So, Maka took the opportunity. Planting one foot firm against the roof she had lept to, she swung Soul into motion in a wide arc. As expected, the beast began to leap backwards to the effect that it would narrowly dodge her blade, but it was not her target. Following the momentum of her blade, Maka spun her back foot around so that she faced the witch and released Soul's handle.

The demon scythe flew through the air dangerously directly toward the witch. Unfortunate for her, she realized just a moment too late. She pushed against her broom and had just started to back away when Soul spun around her, transformed, and grabbed her around the waist. Both were headed down as Soul transformed the arm holding her and squeezed. With a bone-chilling shriek she was split in two. Maka waited below to catch Soul in weapon form once more.

A skillful twirl of the scythe later and Maka stood triumphantly as she panted and watched the witch's body collide with the ground. Just as they had expected, the beast had dissipated as soon as Soul pierced skin. All that was left was to finish her off.

Just as the technician stepped forward, the witch's top half rolled over and pushed itself upright. Sputtering blood, she jerked her head toward them. Every drop of blood that hit the earth sizzled in the dirt. "Y-you think that will kill me?" A shrilly screeching laugh tore through the cold night air like daggers in their ears. "You'll have to try harder than that!" she shouted as she swung her torso forward. Six crustacean-like legs sprouted from her base and caught the ground.

Maka stepped closer, eyes narrowed in a hateful glare. "I'll do whatever it takes," she spat indignantly and raised Soul with one hand. Without any more warning, she dove into a swing. The witch (why did they still not know her name?) narrowly dodged, skittering out of the way much like the falsified beast had. Without losing a beat, Maka swung again. Swing after swing, the witch dodged by increasingly slim margins. Finally her expressions betrayed fear. She was going to lose this fight. This technician and her weapon were fueled by a determination she was finding it difficult to combat.

Panic danced across the witch's face, but it was quickly replaced a glare of her own. "You'll _never_ kill me! I will live on in your nightmares!"

Soul clattered against the ground unexpectedly. The hands that formerly wielded him were now occupied grasping at her own throat. Maka was gasping for air to no avail, hovering a few inches above the ground. Her eyes were a glassy black and her ears apparently deaf, because no matter how much Soul shouted she did not respond to anything.

…

Drowsily, verdant green eyes slid open. After a very short moment of staring at her bedroom ceiling, Maka shot up into a sit. Her heart was racing, but she could not remember why. She was feeling this odd sense of urgency that was tugging at the corners of her mind, but she could not put her finger on it. Had she had a nightmare? She didn't remember one. Did she have an exam today? Anxiously, her eyes darted to the clock. The hour hand was just passed 4. It was still dark outside the window. So, even if it was a school day, she was not awake too late. If anything it was too early. So, why was she so nervous?

With uncertainty she slid off the side of her bed, pulled on a pair of shorts and wandered toward the door. Her apartment was shrouded in the dark of night. She had to strain her eyes to see into the kitchen. Everything seemed in order. Nothing was out of the ordinary, or so it seemed. So, warily Maka wandered back to her room, crawled under the covers and snuggled against her pillow in hopes of finding restful sleep swiftly.

"Makaaaa."

Her eyes snapped open again. It was quiet. It was creepy. But, that voice felt so real. It was as if someone had been mumbling directly in her ear. Nervously, she turned her head to look over her shoulder. Still, she saw nothing, but it did not ease her nerves. Maybe it was her imagination after all, though determining that was not going to clear it from her mind. Clearly, she was not going to get any sleep from this point on. So, she pushed herself up into a sit again and sat quietly. The only thing that bothered her now is that after she stopped moving, the rustling sound in the sheets did not cease. Confused, she glanced around the bed around her. Strangely, the blanket over her was tightening – as if it were being pulled from all sides against the bed. Slowly, Maka leaned to her left and looked over the edge, gasping sharply at what she saw. There were countless arms stretching up from beneath her bed. Some were tugging at her sheets while others were reaching up at her.

"Makaaa!" the voice cackled.

Maka let out a high-pitched scream, and having no other weapon within reach, promptly threw every item available to her at the unidentified limbs. The pillow she attempted to beat them with was pulled away from her – nearly pulling her over the side – and shoved beneath the bed. Her alarm clock only deterred the single hand that it hit for a moment. Her book did just as little damage, and it hurt her to see a couple of the arms rip it to bits before her eyes. Pencils, notebooks, and a cup of water later and she had still made no impact. They were getting closer. All that she had left in her arsenal was a second pillow and blankets. When the first hand grazed her knee and threatened to latch down on her thigh, Maka let out a shrilly scream and moved to kick at it. Arm after arm snuck over the edge to grab onto her legs, squeezing uncomfortably hard. Maka was not about to take this lying down. Violently she kicked against the would-be restraints. The moment she was free, shehopped off of the bed bounded for the door. Behind her the bed lifted to follow, the arms acting as many skittering legs.

Maka slammed the door behind her, sure that it couldn't follow through the wall. That is until

_**BOOM**_

Something large and heavy collided with the wall, causing the entire apartment to shake slightly. Shit. She had to do something.

Maka jumped in surprise when she backed up into something. It was warm, and felt very much like a body.

A familiar chuckle sounded from above her. "You're an interesting one, Maka Albarn," rang Dr. Stein's creepy voice. Maka looked up to see him peering down at her. "Oh how I would love…to dissect you!" Before she could get away, he grabbed her arms firmly and pulled her across the room. Maka struggled to pull herself from his grasp. "Don't fight it. You'll waste all of your energy before I can find all the ways to make you scream. You do want to have the energy to scream, don't you Maka?"

**_BOOM_**

"Let me go!" she shrieked. In response, Stein threw her harshly against the coffee table, which crumbled beneath her. The glass top had shattered, a shard of which was now lodged in Maka's side.

"Happy? Hehehehehe I let go, just as you requested. Oh, looks like the table has made the first incision. No time to waste!"

Stein lunged toward her. Maka did what her instincts told her to. She rolled away, pulling the shard of glass out as she went (gasping painfully in the process), then turned the glass on Stein. The glass dug into his arm. Though it was not deep, it gushed with blood.

**_BOOM_**

As the spatters of blood hit the floor they began slithering toward her rapidly. With another shriek, Maka hurried to her feet and backed away. Stein struggled to pull himself to his feet as the blood continued to poor and crawl away from his body toward her. His pale skin was growing paler than could have been imagined.

Maka was on a determined route for the door out of the apartment when she saw at the base the dancing shadows of skittering fingers, like the ones in her room. The light pounding sound coming from that direction told her that the door was covered it them. The window was blackened by a squirming horde of long-legged crabs. The bathroom was even swarming with them, crawling from the toilet, sink and bathtub. Having nowhere else to turn, Maka climbed over the dinner table and darted passed the crawling blood into the hallway. Instinctively she bypassed her bedroom door towards…

**_BOOM_**

"No…" She patted the wall desperately, as if the door was merely invisible. "No!"

**_BOOM_**

His door wasn't there. He had to be here. She couldn't be alone. He would not leave her alone.

**_BOOM_**

"Soul… Soul!"

**_BOOM_**

Darkness was consuming her.

…

Soul had transformed just after hitting the ground. "Maka, what was that abou—Maka? MAKA!" The scythe hurried to his partner's side. She appeared to be choking on her own breath, eyes wide in fear and shrouded in a black haze. Soul shook her by her shoulders, but it did nothing to snap her out of it. She had begun mumbling his name and tears were staining her cheeks.

So, he turned to the source of the problem. The witch's eyes were black like Maka's, but it seemed more like in a maddening pleasure than overwhelming fear. She was completely focused on Maka and entirely disregarding her weapon. So, it was no big surprise when Soul sliced her clean through and she merely fell to the ground as a lump of slowly dissolving flesh without a fight and leaving behind a floating glowing orb.

What a stupid witch.


	16. Chapter 16: Inappropriate Places

With a thud, Maka fell to the ground, sputtering and coughing like she had forgotten how to breathe. She was hunched over on her knees. White-striped black shoes stopped next to her hands as she tried desperately to catch her breath. Lifting her chin, Maka could see the black crawling mess that was the remnants of witch. Above the mess floated curly glowing soul. It was foul to her, even now. It made it her sick to look at it. In retrospect, their battle had not really been as grand as some they fought in the past. In fact, this was rather minor in comparison. But, this particular beast of a person had toyed with sensitive corners of her mind. Precious corners.

Angry tears pelted the ground like hail. The witch tried to take Soul from her. Long after he has moved on and found more busty and interesting meisters, all that she will have left of him are her memories. She would sooner die than let them go. Let him go…

"Don't be stubborn."

Maka's eyes jerked up toward the voice that drew her from her thoughts. For how long she did not know, Soul had been standing there holding down his hand to her, his other hand stuffed comfortably in his pocket. Even this was a memory she would fight to keep.

"Well? Let's go."

"Yeah," she sighed. Giving the soul one last glance, Maka placed her hand in Soul's. She stood weakly, causing her partner to reach his other hand out to steady her. Much to her embarrassment, he did so by holding her hip with one hand and drawing dangerously close. It was more surprisingly when he lifted his other hand to her cheek. As gently as he possibly could, he pulled down on the skin beneath her eye as he examined it inquisitively – concern in his eyes. His other fingers were just barely grazing her skin, and it sent a shiver down her spine. It tickled, but she fought to stay as still as she could. Trouble was that she was too exhausted. She was mentally drained. This was nothing like her long nights spent studying. That was an entirely different kind of drained. So, as Soul moved his hand to pull up on her eye-lid instead, her annoyance burst right through her embarrassment to take charge.

"Are you just going to keep poking at my face, or can we go home?" she barked.

Soul's brow furrowed, eye's narrowed defensively, and yet she still read concern rather than any sort of anger. "Well, excuse me for making sure you're okay." The one hand abandoned prodding her face, but his other still remained at her hip. "Can you walk?"

"I'm **fine.**" Only she wasn't. Her stomach felt like one giant knot, all four limbs felt weak, eyes burning, and her head felt like it was going to float away from her body. But, Maka Albarn was not about to let that get her down.

"Whatever." Was that hurt she heard in his voice? Great, now her conscience felt bad too.

...

Giving his partner one last look over and releasing a deep sigh, Soul freed her and turned to retrieve their prize: The witch's soul. Instead of devouring it right away, he put it away until they could reach Lord Death for consultation. There was something fishy about it that Soul did not trust.

When he turned back to Maka, Soul almost let a chuckle escape, but he had to fight with every fiber of his being to keep his amusement hidden. Maka was looking at him with the most horribly torn face. She looked like she was trying hard to be angry when clearly she wasn't. She must have been insanely tired. No one but Maka would fight _to be_ angry. Cracking a crooked smile, he gestured his head toward the other side of town and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Shall we?"

Maka lowered her head so that she could hide behind her bangs. "Will you carry me?"

Chuckling unabashedly now, Soul wordlessly returned to her. He turned his back to her and waited to feel her arms on his shoulders before squatting down a bit to lift her up off of the ground. Despite how light-weight she was, it was instantly uncomfortable. Her arms went around his neck, blocking off his breathing, and her legs around his waist left her feat to beat against his crotch. The latter was the worst part. He could death without breath for a little while, but you don't mess with a guy's junk. Uncool. So, before he got even a yard, he had to stop to readjust her. He pushed her up so that she was higher on his back and continued on. Every so often he had to lift her feet back up, but for the most part he could deal.

They were just about to emerge upon the living side of town when Soul noticed something odd. Turning in a tight circle, he took in the sight of the broken village they were leaving behind. Not only had the houses been devastated by Maka's fury, but they were no longer uninhabited. All around them were confused villagers, wandering around the wreckage of their homes.

Getting the feeling that perhaps it would not be in their best interests to stick around and have the blame directed at them for what…well was their fault, Soul turned and hastened his pace. Even on this side of town, villagers were emerging from their homes as if they knew something was different. Some were cheering, others weeping. Soul had to weigh the pros and cons of abandoning his jacket back at the room and heading straight for the train station. Ultimately, he decided they would have to wait for the train anyway, which likely would not show up for hours, so why not retrieve his jacket.

By the time they made it to the train station, his jacket draped over his sleeping partner on his back (which was beginning to kill him at this point), only a few other people had gathered to wait. The few adults there were solemnly looking down at the ground, ignoring them, but a single child watched them curiously. "That them, momma?"

Them? Soul could not tell just yet whether this was good or bad. Either way, surely there was a faster way to get home.

"Oi," Soul called for the attention of a man sitting by himself. "Got a mirror?"

"_Mirror?_ That _is_ them, momma. He thinks we has mirrors!"

"Shush, April."

"Look stupid," the girl looked up at Soul with all the attitude something only three feet tall could, "mirrors is bad. Bad lady takes you there."

"Takes you?" Was that why villagers randomly appeared in the once abandoned side of town after they killed her?

Sigh. Well, he wasn't going to be able to contact Shibusen for a ride home. The train was just going to have to do. "Maka, hop down."

With a groan, she complied and took a seat on the closest bench, eyes half-shut. Soul took his seat next to her, placing his arm on the back rest behind her to entice her to use him as a pillow. Oh, and it worked. She was out like a light on his chest in no time.

Cool.

* * *

Soul was abruptly woken from his nap by a jab from his left. Lazily his eyes rolled open and head rolled to the side to see what was happening. He was shocked to find that the small train station had begun to overflow while they snoozed. Some of the people he recognized from the side of town they had ravaged. It appeared many decided to take what they had and flee instead of staying to rebuild. It was making the station more congested than Soul would like. At this rate, they might not be able to make it on the tiny train that serviced this area.

"Maka, Maka wake up." Shaking her shoulder gently, Soul eyed the crowd for a potential path to the front.

"Hm, mm what?" she mumbled. Oh, how it pained him to wake her. It was too cute how she sat up and rubbed the sleep away.

"We need to move." Not waiting for her response, he stood and held out his hand for her.

"But, I like our apartment," she mumbled.

Soul laughed heartily. "Maka… just get up."

Drowsily, she opened her eyes to find his hand. Thoughtlessly, she accepted it and stood to follow him. Much to her surprise, they were surrounded by discontented villagers. Dazed, she followed as Soul pulled her by the hand through the crowd. "S-soul, where are we going?"

…

It took a lot of fighting for Soul to make it to the front of the crowd, and by the time he managed it the train was pulling in. By then, Maka managed to anger several villagers by shouting at them. After the work she had done for their village, she did not appreciate all of the elbows in the side she was receiving. There was a lot of shuffling about, angry grumbles sounding all around them. They pushed on, forcing their way through the train doors before anyone could push them back. At this point people were afraid to fight back against Maka after she brutally kicked a man in the shin for grabbing her arm. Despite that, they still pushed their way into the train like wild animals behind them. Anticipating they would get shoved back anyway, Soul lead her to the opposite side of the train. Instead of taking a seat, he stood near a wall instead.

"Why don't we sit?" Maka questioned curiously.

"You saw how many old women are in this crowd. It wouldn't be cool to make them stand," he answered cooly. Maka snickered quietly. "What?"

Their conversation was made brief by the incoming pressure of bodies. Their personal space was being invaded fast. Before they knew it, Maka was shoved into him. Hoping to distract her from lashing out at people, Soul wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her against his chest. Despite the many times they had shared close space in the past several hours, Maka was blushing furiously. Her head was down, trying to hide it of course, but she was failing miserably. Damage done. She had a witness. He loved every minute of it.

…

Maka was not sure if she more comfortable or uncomfortable. Truthfully, in contrast to standing squished between the bodies of strangers, being held to Soul was definitely the lesser of the evils. After all, the villagers smelled dirty, Soul smelled delicious. It was an intoxicating scent that filled her lungs with pleasure beyond reason. The moment was being fouled by all of these bystanders. If only he would hold her like this outside of situations like this.

It was clear when his arm slowly migrated from her shoulder to the middle of her back and his head drooped lazily that he had fallen asleep. How he could sleep standing, she would never know. Soul could sleep anywhere, even the most inappropriate places. For instance, in class. Maka was just thanking her lucky stars Soul stopped drooling in his sleep a few years ago, otherwise she would be drenched.

Ugh. Don't even think about it.

* * *

"W-what do you mean?" Maka was on the edge of choking on her own tongue. It was absurd. Insane. No, it could not be true.

Lord Death tilted his head and held up a single oversized finger. "Little Maka, do not worry! We will sort it all out soon!"

"But, what about Soul? I killed a witch! He should be a death scythe by now!"

"Yes, you did! You did great, Maka my precious Maka! You deserve it all, and you will have it! The world for my Maka!" The auburn haired fool squealed in glee in and spun on a heel.

"Shut up, Papa," Maka snapped.

"Maka." Lord Death straightened. "You can sense it, can't you? Look at the soul."

Maka huffed, but complied. She had been ignoring her soul perception ever since they left that blasted town. All that she wanted was the glory of making Soul a death scythe and to go straight to bed. Okay, perhaps a shower was somewhere in that agenda as well.

It only took a moment of true focus for Maka to turn back toward Death. "But, how is that even possible? How could it be _human_? She was a _witch_!"

"We can only assume she split her soul before death. Remember, even Medusa managed to stay alive after Professor Stein destroyed her body."

"Is that even possible?"

"Dunno."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW!?"

"Maka," Soul groaned from behind her. "Let's just go home. They'll figure it out."

"Yes yes! You should go home and get some rest!"

"It's your turn, but I'll make dinner. How does that sound?"

"How can you think of food at a time like this, Soul!?"

"Question is, why aren't you thinking about food? We haven't eaten all day."

Growling under her breath, Maka stormed away, not waiting for her partner or any further explaination.

"Makaaaa! Papa loves you!"


	17. Chapter 17: Always

A/N: I apologize for the wait only for this to be a short chapter. This is the last chapter, but the story will go on. I plan on starting a continuation story eventually. I cannot say how soon, because I've been distracted by so many other ideas lately. Either way, enjoy. :3

* * *

The apartment looked dark and disappointing. She had sincerely thought that the next time she saw it Soul would be a death scythe; she would be promoted; everyone would be proud. But, no. She stumbled through the door as a failure. _Again_. It was exhausting how long it was taking her to make him a death scythe. Her mother had achieved it at such a young age, and here she was… aspiring to be as strong as her mother and failing. It made her wonder if others looked down on her for it. She always felt like she was being left behind. Kidd, being a Shinigami, was always going to be more powerful than her. The only thing keeping him from making Liz and Patti into stronger weapons was his OCD. Black Star, on the only hand, was held back by his pride. He had plenty of occasions to collect more than enough souls, but he did not seem to care. He and Tsubaki were already an extremely powerful team. All of their friends were so much more powerful than she…

Soul should be disappointed too. He should be upset with her, but the entire way home she kept catching him smiling. He looked on her with a happiness she could not fathom. She did not understand how he could act so proud of her. The thought that it was all an act to keep her calm crossed her mind, but it seemed so genuine.

Maka trudged through the apartment with a scowl. She could not match his enthusiasm.

"You can take the shower first. I'll make us something to eat, okay?" Too exhausted her hold her back firm, she was pushed forward when his heavy hand patted the back of her shoulder. Wordlessly, she complied. A shower did sound nice, and the thought of food made her stomach growl angrily.

* * *

After leaving a moderate helping of rice and warm broth on the table for his meister, Soul padded drowsily over to his room to ready for his own shower. It was taking her surprisingly long to emerge from hers, he thought. Usually her showers were very quick. His were typically the longer ones. He would often get distracted in thought as he stood in the running hot water. It was comfortable. Perhaps that was what Maka was up to.

Shrugging it off, he gathered his change of clothes in a pile at the foot of his bed and laid down to rest while he waited. The tendrils of sleep quickly seized him, pulling him ever downward into a land of fluffy pillows made of clouds. He was descending effortlessly through open sky, teetering on the edge of being gone for good. That was when his eyes snapped open to the sound of a crash. Soul sat up with a groan as he tried to replay the sound in his head. The more he thought about it, the more he thought it was merely the sound of bottles and whatnot falling in the shower. Maka must have knocked things over. As soon as he settled on this idea, he heard the shower stop and the scratching sound the curtain made when it opened. She shoved it out of the way hastily, as it sounded.

Then, he heard the door to the bathroom open. Even that came too soon. Usually she spent another ten minutes dressing and brushing her hair. Instead, she darted for her room like a bat out of hell. He could not begin to imagine what drew her out like that, but it hardly mattered. It was his turn, and he was not going to waste it.

Upon arriving, Soul scowled at the sight he found in the bathroom. The curtain was partially pulled down from the curtain rod, and the floor littered with shampoo bottles and the like. "Could have at least picked it up," he mumbled grumpily.

...

The shower succeeded in waking him up a little, but even then he did not stop moving around lethargically. He dragged his feet all the way back to the dining area to check if Maka ate. Finding a half-eaten bowl of rice and the mostly empty broth bowl, he was pleased to determine she indeed had eaten. It seemed, though, that after eating she had not the energy to make it back to her room, as she was now passed out sitting up on the couch.

Soul was left to debate the hazards of carrying her to bed. She was violent when well-rested, there was no telling what she would do to him if she woke up to his arms around her whilst she's wearing her pajamas. He was thankful that she had grown out of sleeping in full pajamas and now claimed a wardrobe of small T-shirts and short shorts to sleep in, but it was a choice she made for comfort that also made her more self-conscious. Never mind the fact that he's seen her legs all the way up to her panties on many occasions. Her skirts weren't that long, after all.

After putting away her left overs and washing the dishes, he watched her for a while. Her face was crinkled in discomfort, but it did not appear to be from the way she was sitting. Eventually, her body leaned just far enough to one side that she fell into the couch on her shoulder. Initially, he thought she had woken, as she began to mumble incoherently. It was annoyingly reminiscent of when the witch had infected her. It made his chest ache.

Taking it upon himself to fix her, he gently maneuvered her upward on the couch so that he could lift her feet up onto it as well. Then, he pulled the blanket from the back of the couch down over her and began tucking it around her. His actions stopped when she mumbled again. This time it was intelligible. She said his name. It was music to his ears. Was she dreaming of him? Or, was this like before?...

"Soul," she whispered again breathily. "Where…were you?"

His brow knitted. Yes, she was still asleep. No, he could not just let it be. Kneeling next to the couch, he drew her hand from the blanket and held it in his. Gently he kissed each of her delicate fingers before looking up at her again. "I'm here. I've always been here." Weakly, her fingers squeezed his, but it was enough for him to notice. "I'll _always_ be here, Maka."

She mumbled quietly and shifted, drawing her knees up for warmth. He was not looking, but he could hear her mouth open and the quick inhale that preceded speech. In one breath, she sighed and spoke again.

"I love you, Soul…"

His head lifted from resting on her hand. It was a fact he had already learned earlier that day, though she was unaware of it, but it sounded so much sweeter in her voice… rolling off of her tongue and dancing from her lips to his ears. He only wished she had been awake and aware of what she was saying. He wanted to return the favor, without getting murdered by a dictionary or worse. He wanted to tell her he loved her. He wanted her to know that she belonged to him and he was never going to give her up. She was the greatest gift he could ask for. Even the brain damage he received from living with her was worth it.

Worth every fucking minute of it.


End file.
